The Family Dog Knew I Had Cancer

Animals have a special sensing that goes beyond some of the sixth sense or heightened senses that most humans have. Without even talking or speaking there’s an empathy that animals can feel despite being a different species than the human species. When I was younger there was a family dog, and the last family pet of my grandparents. To give some backstory my grandparents had a Boston terrier that they loved and then after the passing of that beloved Boston terrier. My grandparents got another family dog and then this dog would be the last pet that they ever had, and also the best pet they ever had.

My mother and her siblings got the chance to have a family pet named Mandy. Mandy was a little Spitfire lhaso apso that did not regret any of her decisions as a dog.

I remember the story of Mandy being told that she cannot go chase the birds and she would have this hamster wheel moment in her brain of the equation of what was going to happen to her.

Her + Chase = Newspaper to butt. She will look at the birds, then back to my grandfather with the newspaper. Then back to the birds, back to my grandfather, and then she would takeoff after the birds. She would come back with a tail between her legs knowing what was gonna happen to her but she didn’t regret a single action.

And then I was born which put things off kilter for Mandy. I don’t know what a dog thinks but I’m pretty sure this dog did not like having a screaming little baby at all times. I vividly remember the one time I petted her and she growled at me.

In 1997, there were some minor signs that something was wrong with my health. There was some growing concern from my family, but Mandy was already at heightened alert.

There are pictures of me when I was going through pneumonia before the thought was going to be cancer, Mandy knew it before anybody else did.

Mandy had an instinct that something was wrong with me even though she didn’t really care for me too much, if this dog could talk, she would say-

“Something is wrong with the tiny annoying human, I don't know what but I need to protect tiny annoying human.”

My grandmother had told me exactly when they knew I had cancer because of Mandy’s actions one day. I was on the couch, and I was looking deader then a Tim Burton character. There was a woman that came to see my grandmother and she brought her four-year-old son. I don’t know the entirety of why this little boy was there, but there was a little boy there from what was told by my grandmother who told me this story. The point of talking about this little boy is this little boy ended up in the crossfire of Mandy’s rage. He came over to me wanting to play, he was just pushing on me, wanting me to play. I was so weak that I didn’t even care nor know what was going on. But Mandy was furious, I’d even dare make a pun and say fur-ious. Pun aside, she came over and she was about to attack this four-year-old boy, this four-year-old was not going to live to see five. Mandy was barking and baring teeth. It scared the little boy away, and she would not leave my side. My grandfather had to intervene to stop the family dog attacking a young boy, and Mandy had never done that to someone else.

My grandfather took Mandy to the garage because she went from cute to Cujo. As he was gently placing this writhing family dog in the garage, Mandy bit him on his arm in an attempt to retaliate and come back to me. After my grandfather locked the door and looked at this dog bite on his arm, the thought came to him as well as the rest of my family as to why Mandy would react like this. Then in a few weeks time the cold I had wasn't appearing to be just a cold, this had to be worse then a cold I had was getting worse. The concern for my health was growing and I was taken to the hospital. And then that day a sad doctor came in and told the news that I have leukemia .

The doctors had assured my family the best they could on what was the worst day for my mom, grandmother, and grandfather. It was devastating news for my mom to hear her first child and for my grandparents to hear their granddaughter-their first grandchild has been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. Then, the doctors said that they already called Kings Daughters Children Hospital; they would be expecting me for the start of my treatments and to get me settled in.

My family was absolutely heartbroken by the news, it was a hard chapter to go through with what had to happen to me for treatments, and the strength they had to have to get through watching me go through treatments. My family still says, "Mandy knew you had cancer before we did".

Even during my treatments when I was allowed to go home just to have a break from the doctors, Mandy still stayed by my side to make sure I was OK.

The story spoils itself as I am telling this story twenty one years later to live to say that I was able to successfully got into remission from Leukemia. However, as life does continue, some lives have to come to an end. Mandy had gotten sick, and the old age was taking its toll on her. The only thing I remember that day about Mandy being put down was we had to go to the pet hospital. I stayed in the waiting room, playing with some toys provided for the children. I did not know that the dog that had save my life had to have its own life be put down. My grandparents, my mother and her siblings were present for Mandy’s last moments. My mother told me how devastated she was to have to watch Mandy suffer for weeks. But she knew that it was time for Mandy to be at peace.

And it was that moment that there would never be another family pet. There was never talk of getting another pet, not of any kind of species of animal. The only other animals that were ever in the house was from visiting members of the family that would bring their pets for holidays. But there would never, ever be a dog like Mandy.

I have very limited memories of Mandy, but I’m glad that I have these pictures and the stories about her. She was the best dog I’ll ever have, and I know this dog saved my life.