Happy 12th Birthday to my super, special, super, sweet, soft, sexy, silly, smiling Senna. Adopting Senna sight-unseen from Border Collie Rescue of Texas when he was just 10 weeks old was the best decision I ever made. From the moment he & I met, I knew it was meant to be.

You couldn’t ask for a better companion – Senna loves attention, loves to have his butt rubbed, loves to play tug & chase Frisbees and balls, and loves his agility. As a young dog, he struggled with allergies so bad that I had to request fur be photo-shopped onto his chest on our Christmas photo. The poor boy was just plain naked – no feathers, barely any tail fur, and you could see the freckles on his chest because of the lack of fur. Holistic medicine over the course of almost three years made Senna better, although he still struggles with seasonal allergies on his paws.

A few years ago, he started limping intermittently, but neither vets nor specialists could figure out why. After well over a year, a friend suggested I have a tick panel done. To everyone’s surprise, Senna was diagnosed with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Once on medication, Senna recovered quickly, although he had a few relapses over the next year. Thankfully he’s been symptom-free for the past two years.

Then, just this past March, I took Senna to the vet to have a sore on his tongue looked at. It was cut out, sent off to a pathologist, and came back as malignant hemangiosarcoma. Senna was given 3-6 months to live. I had no intention of putting Senna through chemo. Instead, with the help of a good friend who had been through this a few years before, I started a holistic plan for Senna that included special food, lots of supplements, and acupuncture. An ultrasound done a few months after his diagnosis showed no macro masses anywhere in Senna’s organs (although we were told micro masses might still be present). We are now at 9 months since this devastating diagnosis, and I’m happy to say Senna is showing no signs that he’s ready to go anywhere. He’s still the same dog he’s always been, albeit a bit older and with some arthritis and a lessening amount of hearing and eyesight. He still loves to play, to get his butt rubbed, and to do agility.

Senna is truly a special dog. I’m so blessed he came into my life, and I’m hoping he’ll be with me a few more years. Happy 12th Birthday, Senna-pup!