Tyson

Tyson, affectionately known as "Bubba," came into our lives as an 8-week old pup in January of 2010.  He was the nephew of our first Golden Retriever, Tucker.  When our breeder emailed us in the early fall of 2009 offering us first pick of the litter, we couldn't refuse.  Tyson was born on November 18, 2019.  He was the fattest and lightest colored pup of the litter and had the biggest attitude.  We knew that he was ours the day he was born.  He stood out like a sore thumb in the pile of his much darker colored and smaller siblings.  He was always the first one at the milk bar!

One day in June of 2016, at 6-1/2 years old, Tyson suddenly became very ill.  He was lethargic and refused to eat.  We took him to the vet and found that he had mast cell cancer.  The vets told us that he likely only had weeks to live and that even with thousands of dollars worth of chemotherapy and surgery to remove his tumor, there weren't any guarantees that it would buy us any significant time.  This news was like a giant punch in the gut.  It wasn't at all the news we were expecting.   So, we took him home with a prescription for prednisone and immediately started doing our research.  We found a holistic treatment plan for dogs with mast cell cancer called "Cleo's Diet" and we also found a mast cell cancer support group on Facebook with thousands of dog owners who had great success with these holistic measures.  We actually learned that chemotherapy and surgery are highly contraindicated for this type of cancer and can actually do far more harm than good.  We ordered the supplements that this holistic treatment plan called for and started Tyson on this plan.  He almost immediately bounced back.  He regained his energy and his appetite and he was back to his old self within a matter of days and went on to live another 5 happy and healthy years with us.  We were ecstatic. 

Unfortunately, in late August of 2021, just 2-1/2 months shy of his 12th birthday, we knew the end was nearing.  He had become very frail and weak and eventually reached the point where he could no longer stand or walk under his own power.  He had to be carried up and down the stairs.  He was incontinent of his urine and his vision was also starting to fail.  He would neither eat or drink, not even his most favorite foods in the world.  We brought him to the vet on August 31st, where extensive testing was done and it was discovered that cancer had spread all throughout his body and there was very little to nothing that could be done.  It was time.  Despite his grave illness, Tyson was smiling and giving everybody kisses right up until his final breath.  It was the most difficult day of our lives.

We are so incredibly grateful for the nearly 12 years that we had this amazing boy in our lives.  Everyone always talks about their "heart dog."  Tyson was 100% our heart dog.  We had such a strong bond and connection with him and he was always so in tune to us.  At 90 pounds, he was a gentle giant who wouldn't have dreamed of hurting even a flea.  He was such a huge part of our lives.  These last 7 months without him have been extremely difficult and there isn't a day that goes by where we don't think of him and miss him so very much.  Despite the fact that we have 4 other Goldens, there is a massive void in our hearts and our home without him here.  There will never be another one like him.  

We will love and miss you forever, Bubba.