(to hear the music please push play.)
~In Loving Memory of
Jazz~
Rodsden's
Jazz of Quira, UD, CGC
May 6, 1992 -
March 12, 2000
Jazz was my dog.
But more than that, Jazz was my constant companion, my best friend.
We were all but inseparable from the day I brought him home from
Chicago until the day he died in my arms. Perhaps the best way
to accurately describe our relationship is with the words of a
friend who said, "Jazz is not her pet. Jazz is her partner."
And that he was. He helped me teach others, willingly going to
heel at their sides so they could learn what it was like to work
a dog that could do it right. He helped raise puppies over the
years, some my own, many rescue pups. He was patient, tolerant,
sharing his toys at times, reprimanding the youngsters when necessary.
I am flooded with
memories of this great dog. He was truly a once-in-a-lifetime
dog, possessed of such deep intelligence that I swear he could
reason things out. He was a gentle giant who had a soft spot for
small dogs. I remember doing signal exercises in a hotel room
with him the night before the dog show. Jazz performed his exercises
in the floor. Dixie, my roommate's little 5-pound Pom, responded
to my signals in perfect unison with my 115-pound boy, except
she did hers right next to him on the bed. He worried when he
saw people carrying little tiny dogs. I think he thought they
were somehow harming the little ones. When I would groom a small
dog, he would rest his chin on the side of the tub or the grooming
table and whine throughout the entire process.
Jazz earned his obedience
titles through his UD, as well as earning six UDX legs before
being diagnosed with cataracts. One week before he became ill,
he showed again, this time in Veterans Obedience and with my student/partner/friend
showing him -- her first time ever in an obedience ring. He was
magnificent, strutting with his head held high, animated, responsive,
and very fast. My friend Andi said the only time she was nervous
was when she called him in on the recall. He came in at breakneck
speed and yet managed to hop-slide to a perfect front, staring
up at her with his big Rottie smile on his face.
Jazz liked to guard
my things... a shoe, my wallet, the keys. He loved going to the
mailbox with me because he always got to carry the keys. He would
run ahead, occasionally stopping to sniff, at which point I would
holler out to him, "NOT THERE!" He would give one last
reluctant sniff at the spot where moments before he contemplated
lifting a leg to mark. Then he would move on.
WHAT KILLED MY DOG????
So many Jazz stories...
stories of an abbreviated lifetime with a truly remarkable creature.
But Jazz' years were cut brutally short by a disease that I had
never in my life heard of until my vet delivered the horrific
diagnosis. Jazz had Immune Mediated Hemalytic Anemia. His chances
were slim at best, and yet we tried hard to save his life. He
wasn't even 8 years old yet, and I could not imagine life without
this wonderous animal, my soulmate, my best friend. We fought
hard for his life....and we lost.
I'm not going to
tell you every Jazz story that I can think of. First, you wouldn't
read it. That is as it should be. Jazz was my dog, not yours.
Second, it would take too long to write his memories, would fill
too many pages. All of the memories I have of him I hold fast
and forever in my heart. But if Jazz' death is to have any meaning,
it will be to save the life of another dog. You see, I believe,
after reading, searching, studying, that Jazz contracted this
disease due to over vaccination. And I believe there are certain
breeds and certain families within breeds that are particularly
vulnerable to being stricken with this disease, as well as other
auto immune maladies. I, like so many others, vaccinated my dog
routinely from the beginning of his life. I was terrified of parvovirus
and was zealous in my efforts to protect him. He received annual
vaccinations, as well as parvo boosters every six months for the
first several years of his life. I did not question the wisdom
of doing so. Everyone did it. All the veterinarians recommended
it. Now I have learned that vaccinating annually is not only not
necessary, but is, indeed, potentially harmful to our dogs. I
have learned that there is a strong suspected link between over
vaccination and autoimmune disease. I wish I had learned it earlier.
For Jazz it was too late. The damage had been done.
So what is his legacy? Simply this: To save a life. In Jazz memory,
it is my sincere desire to protect just one other dog and that
dog's owner from having to go through what Jazz and I went through.
Toward that end, I have included in this page some web sites that
I urge you to read. As I find more, I will add them this site.
As for myself, no dog of mine will ever again be vaccinated annually
just because I get a card in the mail. I will run titers on them
annually. Some vaccinations I won't give at all. I cannot tell
anyone else what to do, but if I could convey the horror of the
last week of Jazz' life, I would do so. Maybe that would make
an impression that mere words cannot, thus helping people who
read these words to make their own decisions. My plea is that
you study the web sites herein provided and that you think carefully
through the decision of whether or not and/or when to vaccinate
your dog.
As for me, I will
keep trying to learn and keep talking about it and keep spreading
the word because maybe, just maybe, I can, indeed, save just one
dog from the fate that took my precious beloved friend from me
so prematurely...... maybe that dog will be yours.
Immune Mediated
Hemolytic Anemia
Small Animal Vaccination Protocol
Are
We Vaccinating Too Much?
Overvaccination
Issues
Immune
System and Disease Resistance
Vaccine
Info
To Max's
page who went to the bridge days after Jazz did.
Do not take any picture or
graphics without my permission:
BARBSTHOMAS
