Huckleberry

Huckleberry came into our lives about 5 years ago, when we were visiting the local pound in search of a family pet.  We were looking at another dog, when Huckleberry came up and licked my daughter,  as he was just dropped off by his previous owner.  When the volunteer told us that his name was Huckleberry,  I knew he was the perfect addition to our family.  You see, my Dad’s cb handle was Huckleberry.  I took it as a sign that he was meant to be ours.  We brought him home and he has been a fixture in our lives since.  Huckleberry is our protector, companion, and a third “child” of our family.

My husband is in the Navy, and due to his change of duty stations, we had to stay behind in Illinois when he went on to Washington State.  For the past 16 months, Huckleberry has been the guardian of our house.  He never fails to let us know when someone is around the house, by his barking.  If someone is at the door, he will wait right beside me until the person at the door leaves.  We never felt unsafe in our house, even though my husband was gone, because Huckleberry was there.

In addition to being our protector, Huckleberry is also a wonderful companion.  My mother has been living with us for the past 3 years.  During that time, she was diagnosed with cancer for a third time.  He was always by her side while she was at home recovering from surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments.  Anytime someone in our house is sick, Huckleberry is right by their side until they feel better.  He also seems to be able to know when I am getting ready to get a severe migraine, as he will just circle around me and keep nudging me.

Huckleberry is just another one of my children.  He is very loved here, and we do anything to make him happy and healthy.  Last week, I was rubbing him under the chin, and felt a bump on his jaw bone.  I looked inside his mouth, and found a large mass covering some of his teeth.  He was immediately taken to the 24 hour Emergency Vet here in Newport News.  After an evaluation, he referred me to VESC Oncology.  We have acted fast in order to prevent the spread of this cancer, and hopefully, with surgery, the wonderful doctors at VESC can successfully cure him.