A Shooting Star

Back in May, Barb and I were excited to make the drive to the Kansas City area to pick up a new addition to our Chihuahua group. After the pandemic pause, and the fact that we didn't really have any dogs suitable for showing anymore, Barb had indicated to our breeder friend Kathy Hulstein, of Sioux Center, Iowa that we would be interested in one of a litter of puppies that she was expecting. 

Kathy has the resources to go beyond the normal selection process when it comes to breeding matches. So she had acquired some Chihuahua stock from a line in Russia that was beginning to produce for her. The Russian line tends to have a bit of a different look, and features a sturdiness to the body that we rarely see in the U.S. When Kathy's latest match produced puppies in March, she informed Barb that there was a female in the group that she was willing to send our way. When we saw the puppy photos, Kathy didn't have to do much sales work.

When we picked up this little girl, it was love at first sight. We kicked around a number of different names that we thought might work given her Russian background. We settled on Sacha....(Sah-shuh) Many people of eastern European heritage use Sacha, as a unisex nickname or given name. Often it is a nickname for Alexander, Alexandra, or Alexa. The AKC registration name for the tiny one would be Victory Sacha Joy at Wee Scotch. Victory-for Kathy's kennel designation...and Wee Scotch for our kennel. Sacha Joy...get it? 

This mostly black with white markings little one fit into our group at home right away, after a short "get acquainted and comfortable" period. We quickly realized that she was constucted a bit differently than our other Chi friends. She was also more quiet..and wouldn't bark at just anything like the others. She grew quickly to be the most sturdily-built Chihuahua that we had ever had in our group. Like most puppies, she was curious, adventurous, and anxious to explore and learn about the world she was in. 

Beginning in July, Barb started working with her as a show dog. She went to some training classes put on by the Jefferson County (MO) Kennel Club in Arnold. This was not her favorite activity. But, after a while, she grew less nervous, and started to come around to the behaviors important to performing well in the show ring. Barb did some patient work with her in our open driveway area at the house as well. 

Barb then entered Sacha in some late Summer/early Fall all-breed shows at the Purina Event Center in Gray Summit, MO. This happened as soon as she became eligible to show at 4-6 months old. The little one did OK...but not great. It seemed she also would have to fight the battle that dark-colored Chihuahuas face. Show judges seem to prefer light-colored Chis even though there is no standard in the breed that indicates they should. To us, it seems there's a prejudice there that the dark-colored animals have working against them. But, to us the show experience is almost more of a social event than something to get all competitive about anyway. 

The plan for Sacha was to have some fun showing her, hopefully develop her show ring skills to the point of acquiring her AKC championship, and then perhaps pair her up with a boyfriend to produce some puppies and a legacy for her, us, and Kathy's venture into Russian breeding.

All of that seemed in order until Thursday, Barb's birthday. 

Sacha had occasionally threw up at night. We didn't think that unusual as puppies tend to do that until their systems mature. But Thursday she began to throw up more frequently to the point of Barb scheduling a vet appointment for Friday morning. But Thursday night, as we were trying to sleep, the little girl started throwing up or retching every 10 or 15 minutes. Barb suggested we get up and take her to Veterinary Specialty Services, a 24/7 emergency clinic that we are lucky to have nearby in Manchester, MO. So at around 2am we packed up Sacha for the trip just to be sure nothing major was amiss. Little did we know it would be something very major.

Without going into all the details, the doctors determined that Sacha had developed a blood clot in her intestines that was creating a blockage. What caused the problem? The vets had no explanation except that it was probably some sort of unknown blood disorder. We were asked if we wanted to have surgery performed to take out the clot and that part of her intestine that was dying because of it. Of course, we did. The doctors kept us informed every step of the way as the surgery was being performed. And, at one point, it seemed like she would come through and be fine after a few days at the animal hospital. It would be a costly, and scary, time for a while. But we would get through it.   

But then came the awful news in another call that she had thrown a blood clot that went to her brain and stopped her breathing. As you might guess, we were devastated that our little star was not going to come home. The vets said they would keep her alive artificially until Barb and I could make the 45 minute drive to VSS to say our goodbyes. Sacha had come into our lives only a little over four months ago...taken hold of our hearts...and now was gone. It all seemed so unreal...and unfair.

Obviously, I can't write a happy ending to this story. I wish I could. This should not happen to precious little animals who are so loved and cherished. This should not happen to people like us who so fiercely love our little Chihuahua friends. But, as this episode in our lives makes so abundantly clear, there are no guarantees in life. And we must learn to treat each day with people and animals we love as a special blessing...and not take for granted that they will be with us the next day. 

Sacha's legacy is that for us...every day, every person, every special little friend will be loved each day to the max. She was Sacha joy! Our only consolation is that we did the best we could for this little star who shone very bright for us, but for a much too short time. Run and play in heaven little Sacha until we meet again.