August 18, 2022: Echo.... In very sad news to report... the "quality of life" thing our vet talked to us about reared its ugly head again in a way we shouldn't have been surprised with.

Echo and Sassy were in the backyard and when it was time to come back into the house, they came running. Then Echo fell over and tumbled into the fence, somehow entangling herself UNDER the hose and water connection! She got herself out from under it but managed to tumble again into the bushes and fence at the back of the yard.

I sent the other dogs out to see if they could help get her out. Yes and no. At this point, Echo started to seizure. Because of my wheelchair / walker, there was no way I could get to her. I got hold of a neighbor who came running. She was able to wrap Echo into a towel and bring her inside. THANK YOU! Unfortunately, the seizure continued.... We had to be mindful that if / when the seizure were to stop, Echo could get defensively violent — bitey.

OrionEngnr rushed home and took Echo to our vet's preferred emergency facility. Based on Echo's pin-point sized pupils, the emergency room vet suspected this was a brain tumor. (This explains the neurological issues that came and went.) Based on the reality of it being a brain tumor, this could happen again. And again.

The vet stopped Echo's seizing. Her 108+ fever came down to 99. Echo was comfortably unconscious with sedation. Other than spending thousands of dollars to yield very few answers, if any, that $%*^&@!! "quality of life" thing played its ace hand.

Additionally... after reading this article about dog dementia... and thinking about what we've witnessed in the past year... Echo was existing with mild to moderate dog dementia. The take away from this article is it being key to keeping their brains engaged, even with just going for a walk. While I can't currently walk myself, I've found other ways to keep the cogs in my head from getting rusty. I'm now thinking on what other ways I can "torment" our dogs to keep the oneupmanship "sibling" rivalry continuing with maybe raising the stakes.

I thought it would get interesting to see how Akula handles Echo's departure as she was his buddy (and always will be, even in spirit) but as it turns out, out of sight, out of mind. Sassy no longer "has to growl" at anyone walking by. Banshee has adjusted to not having anyone's ears to lick. The Echo ear and head licking now makes sense if Echo really had a brain tumor. Banshee is a mothering natured dog and always keeps the others tended to. So when she starts really mothering another dog, I'll pay attention!

Some of us will miss you, girl!!

Echo WAS well-trained and probably a registered, pure blooded Siberian Husky. She will lay there and ignore the vacuum cleaner as it goes by her nose OR if the vacuum is used ON her. She doesn't seem to know how to bark or woo as a normal husky talks. She can, however, make some really unique mumblings. When the other dogs get excited, Echo needs to go find a toy to focus her attention. Odd.

I broke her of some good habits such as NOT jumping up onto the couch and NOT "heel" walking. When walking 4 dogs, I need them right in front of me or 2 on each side. She's a couch hog now.... :)

Echo with her buddy, Akula.

Echo with her other couch hogs.

I found Echo online at the local animal shelter an hour after her picture was posted. I had work approval of leaving early to take Sasin to the shelter and see how approval would go....

When Sasin indicated her approval, she didn't know Echo would be coming home with us. More on that later....

Upon coming home, Echo immediately got a new collar in her iconic color. That was when I noticed just how scrappy she was while being a "stray".

Echo..... Onto her name.... She earned it the first time I groomed her. Huskies are notorious for being hostile when their paws are touched or brushed for too long. Echo was so done with me before I was done with her. Just a couple more claws to go so chill out. Done! I went into the kichen to clean up the grooming tools and then I saw Echo glaring at me... copped a squat and PEED on the ottoman!!! WTH!!??!! So what I do to her will come right back around to me. Got it....

She did it to spite me! What I did to her came right back to haunt me. Ugh! I wasn't going to name her Boomerang. And so her name became Echo... which also happens to be a military aircraft.... Also... she earned the nickname "Dora" from Dora the Explorer. She has this thing for wandering into the bedroom THEN the closet and so on.

She has 2 name patches on her collar.

Now back to cute Echo pictures.... She is almost always seen with a toy close by if not under her chin.

She's known for her tongue shots....


She is the only dog I've ever seen that could win the argument of being named "Spot".

Sasin didn't know that her approving of Echo meant that she okayed Echo's coming to live with us. Sasin can get extremely jealous of Echo. Echo's not at all bothered by this — it's like she gets a little satisfaction out of pissing her off. :)