Today with sadness in my heart I end Skyler' s blog......I put a close to any new additions to her blog.....the blog will remain open to go back and read and view over and over BUT there will be no further blogs added. I will let Skyler rest in peace, and enjoy her time over the Rainbow Bridge and blog up there with my Grandparents and other past friends (animals) and run and play, and await the day we will be together again!
See you one day Skyler, I love you and miss you with all my heart and soul!
Pamela
On Tuesday, March 2, 2015, Skyler was laid out before being cremated. Being cremated she will always be with me physically as well as in my heart!......
Here is my last goodbye where I read and edited the letter I wrote to her again and said my final goodbyes!
I love you and miss you Skyler, and I promise we will meet again over the Rainbow Bridge!
Here is our final video together:
The staff at Regency Forest took great care of her and me and where awesome in every respect, I must add a special kudos to Brian who meets you and careful transport the loved one into the building and lays them out and talks you through the whole process with the utmost respect and care. He really helped me through my loss on his end and really shows he cares!
St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals is watching over all our lost animals and will be with them all until we all meet again!
Here are the facilities at Regency Forest, beautifully kept, and even with this harsh winter on Long Island you can see how beautiful it really is!
Thank you all at Regency for helping me with my loss, as we all know people and their pets are family and they all know this well- it shows in the way they talk and deal with their clients!
Skyler will be kept on top of the piano with the rest of my pets, the same piano that my grandfather bought my grandmother years ago, which I will play and relearn from years ago. You can watch me getting her ready to rest in peace with me close by everyday and night, here is our last video!
Before Skyler left me for our temporary parting, as we will meet again over the Rainbow Bridge, I read the letter I wrote to her so I knew that she knew what was in my heart! And she will know that we will be meeting again one day soon, and where!
At this point the Degenerative Myopathy had attacked her respiratory system, you will hear how in this video......it was breaking my heart......but I knew that we were together until the end.
At 5pm on Friday, February 27, 2015- Skyler left this world to go and cross over the Rainbow Bridge and be with Candy, Sammy, Kelso, Mittens, Mulch, and all my past animals and I know my Grandparents are all up there to walk and run and play with them all! They are all waiting for me one day and after I keep all my promises to them here on earth I shall be with them all across the Rainbow Bridge! I love you all!.....
Our latest project together is a culmination of everything we stand for and want to bring to other teams of people and their dogs alike. Our book!
Together with our pack- or our team- Sandy, Candycane, Scout, and Benji- we co authored our book...."GET YOUR LEASH ON!" A guide to living a healthy and happy lifestyle together!
So go on over to Amazon.com and order our book today, a portion of the proceeds of the book will go towards Kent Animal Shelter until May 2015.
Skyler is not the only one with some health issues, over the last few years I too have had a few scares....the doctors still have no idea why I have had these episodes either by the way! Every test was done and proven to come back NORMAL! SO what is one supposed to do?!?!??! Right?!?!?!?
I eat clean, I exercise, I have my dogs to reduce my stress levels....I mean hello.....I have a great family.....some close friends.....people seem to like me.....what could it be?!?!?! Hhhhmmm.......
Check this video out:
Yes, I had three mini strokes......and at my young age! Weird....although not unheard of......there are other young people who have suffered the same......like Frankie Muniz
I'd like to know if they ever found the cause for him- thinking probably not.....
Most recently I stressed myself out so much that I had another episode (which "unofficially" I am saying it was my ministoke #4......when I went to the ER everything was fine and they sent me home with a clean bill of health.....I mean they did test me out before letting me go and all.......hhmmmm
Okay tune in tomorrow for more of our story, some upbeat stuff I promise!
For years Skyler and I have worked with local representatives to get our local dogpark established. We looked for places to establish a place. We settled on Blydenburgh County Park in Smithtown, NY. We first appealed to County Executive Robert Gaffney, and our local Legislator Andrew Crecca. We soon came to work with a group called H-Dog (who were an established group in the town of Huntington, NY- Long Island), now called LI-Dog. They had no choice to change their name due to Skyler and my work bringing the group further east to Smithtown and even further along than that.....we now have parks in Smithtown and Brookhaven alike......as well as Huntington!
Watch the video here:
You can find out more about Blydenburgh County DogPark here:
The last few years, Skyler was diagnosed with Degenerative Myopathy. This is a
What is Degenerative Myelopathy?
Degenerative myelopathy is a progressive disease of the spinal cord in older dogs. The disease has an insidious onset typically between 8 and 14 years of age. It begins with a loss of coordination (ataxia) in the hind limbs. The affected dog will wobble when walking, knuckle over or drag the feet. This can first occur in one hind limb and then affect the other. As the disease progresses, the limbs become weak and the dog begins to buckle and has difficulty standing. The weakness gets progressively worse until the dog is unable to walk. The clinical course can range from 6 months to 1 year before dogs become paraplegic. If signs progress for a longer period of time, loss of urinary and fecal continence may occur and eventually weakness will develop in the front limbs. Another key feature of DM is that it is not a painful disease.
Degenerative myelopathy begins with the spinal cord in the thoracic (chest) region. If we look under the microscope at that area of the cord from a dog that has died from DM, we see degeneration of the white matter of the spinal cord. The white matter contains fibers that transmit movement commands from the brain to the limbs and sensory information from the limbs to the brain.
In the section of a spinal cord from a dog who has died of DM (Left), the degeneration is seen as a loss of the blue color at the edges (arrows) compared with the spinal cord from a normal dog which is blue througout (Right).
This degeneration consists of both demyelination (stripping away the insulation of these fibers) and axonal loss (loss of the actual fibers), and interferes with the communication between the brain and limbs. Recent research has identified a mutation in a gene that confers a greatly increased risk of developing the disease.
Above in the video are Skyler and I cuddling on the bed and holding each other close! Although when the we sleep the lights are off and we are cuddled close and comfy together! And Sandy gets into the picture as well!
We have to mention our other races as well.......
In fact, there were races that we travelled long distances to and that we had to stay overnight for.....
Dog Run Dog races in Provincetown, MA and our favorite in Vermont.
The race in Vermont was a wet race, yes, it had rained before and I think a little during the race.....we ran with the whole pack.......VERMONT by the way takes the cake on the amount of HILLS and they are definitely not small hills.....but the scenery was breathtaking! We had a great time there and we were all running TOGETHER! I for one was in my bliss! All four of us together for a 10k of hills!
Here's more on our story:
And I want to share our video of the race as well......you can see ALL of us running as well......
I was looking for a running partner for sometime not finding any real luck with people.......we would run together occasionally, but there was usually a reason to not run together, we lived too far from one another- they liked to run at night, I like to run in the morning (I would have to change my schedule around to run with them they would never do so for me!), etc....etc....etc......
I finally realized my best running partner was right at my feet, I slept with her, I ate with her, she was ready whenever I was ....she was truly the best of the best......so Skyler and I became running partners and I was spoiled ever since......it wasn't about beating anyone else, it was about staying fit, getting out there and moving, and just enjoying the RUN TOGETHER!......Our favorite running spot was Blydenburgh County Park trails. Ok, we did do several races together, we even set up our own race here in Smithtown with Dog Run Dog. The money raised through this race was for LI-Dog so that more dogparks would be established!
Our BIG race is the NYC IAMS Doggy Dash (now called the AMC Doggy Dash).....this is Skyler's race but Scout will be running it this year in her place, but using Coach Skyler's advice and training all along the course!- So will I!)......
You can watch the IAMS Doggy Dash video at the end of this blog as well. The race is a 5 mile race that, included a 5 minute rest stop for the dogs halfway through the race to make sure it is safe for them to continue on! Skyler and I ran this race two years in a row in 2009 and 2010! We run alongside the Triathletes at the end of the NYC TRI!
Watch out video about how we became the best running team ever here:
Watch the whole pack and Skyler and myself running and having fun at our favorite place in run here in these videos:
And the IAMS Doggy Dash (where Skyler was the star of the show!)
and the winner got their special trophies how awesome is that?!?!?
We loved running the IAMS Doggy Dash.......and we hope Scout enjoys it this year! Run well and safe Scout!
As you can see on our runs we had a lot of fun and knew how to cool off! I love running with my pack, it's the only way to run!
Let's get right to it, Part Two of our story......
Several years ago, Skyler and Sandy were both certified as Canine Good Citizen Dogs. They were tested and approved!
The American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program, started in 1989, the CGC Program is designed to reward dogs who have good manners at home and in the community.
Many dog owners choose Canine Good Citizen training as the first step in training their dogs. The Canine Good Citizen Program lays the foundation for other AKC activities such as obedience, agility, tracking, and performance events. As you work with your dog to teach the CGC skills, you'll discover the many benefits and joys of training your dog. Training will enhance the bond between you and your dog. Dogs who have a solid obedience education are a joy to live with-they respond well to household routines, have good manners in the presence of people and other dogs, and they fully enjoy the company of the owner who took the time to provide training, intellectual stimulation, and a high quality life. We sincerely hope that CGC will be only a beginning for you and your dog and that after passing the CGC test, you'll continue training in obedience, agility, tracking, or performance events.
AKC's Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program is one of the most rapidly growing programs in the American Kennel Club. There are many exciting applications of this wonderful, entry level that go beyond the testing and certifying of dogs.
All dogs, including both purebred and mixed breed dogs are welcome to participate in the AKC's Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program. Dogs must be old enough to have received necessary immunizations such as rabies vaccines. Owners will sign the Responsible Dog Owners Pledge attesting to having the dog under the routine care of a veterinarian who will work with the owner to determine an appropriate plan and schedule for vaccines and other health care procedures.
There is no age limit for the CGC test. A dog is never too old to be a good citizen. Puppies who have completed all immunizations and boosters may be tested, however, because we know that behavior and temperament can change over time, when puppies pass the CGC test, owners should have them re-tested as adults.
Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel and check out our websites:
Today, I want to talk about our story together....Skyler and I were friends from the first time our eyes met. It was literally kismet! I walked into the Huntington Animal Shelter in Huntington, NY- Long Island and all I had to do was walk 5 feet and turn to my right and I was a goner! From that point on Skyler had adopted me into her heart (and vice versa!)
Having had such positive experiences with the Huntington Animal Shelter, I must admit I was not surprised! First really close friends of the family had adopted their dog Buffy from there. I remember Buffy loving grape gum! And if she was mad at you, she would sit and turn away from everyone.....you would know it! The first animal shelter on Long Island to develop a dog park/ run (one for the shelter dogs and one for the public to use alike) was established by the shelter as well. In fact today you can visit the dogpark there with your dog, or check out the dogs for adoption and use the dogpark there with your new best friend! Skyler and I have used that dogpark frequently over the years as well! We would bring Sandy and Candycane as well!
The next few days we will be bringing you our story.....how we met, and became the greatest pack ever. Our experiences together.....and more....we hope you enjoy it all.....here is our first video......
Skyler and I want to make sure you head on over to www.doggonehealthychoices.com and www.pamelaschmidlin.com in the next few days to check out more info on our mission in life......and beyond. We feel really passionate about bringing health and happiness to other six legged TEAMS, because we had a long life together and loved every minute together! We will be updating the site in the up and coming days and weeks so check back often as well.....more to come, stay tuned in! And subscribe to our YouTube Channel as well......
