November 7, 2004
It has finally come to quality of life for Polar, and unfortunately even with the best medical care possible, and all my hard work we can't beat the Osteomyelitis that has taken up residence in his right rear leg. So I had to, with the advice of a wonderful Surgeon, decide how to proceed with this next huge hurtle for Polar. My choice is having his leg amputated. It has been the hardest thing to date in his life that I have had to do. I don't know if we will be able to continue our therapy visits with the children or the Adult Day Care facility of even to the Retirement home, which is what Polar lives for. The infection in his leg continues to thrive and spread even on medications and daily monitoring. It just isn't fair to him to have to stay on antibiotics his entire life just to keep the infection quiet. That is, not killed but just kind of sleeping. I hope that with Polar's tremendous spirit and determination to be as normal as possible he will be able to manage on three legs. I have been trying to find someone that would be interested in fitting him with a prosthetic, but at this point I have only found someone in Oscala, Florida. But, I'm not sure if with that long of a distance it would be possible given Polar's unique disability. It is very hard to describe to someone how he gets around, even though he does. And I just don't know if his remaining rear leg will be strong enough to let him manage.

I am sending the gentlemen in Florida a video of Polar running around, laying down, and getting up. I will be anxious to see what he has to say. It has been a terribly long 15 months since this nightmare started, and Polar and I look forward to some kind of closure soon. If anyone knows of someone that would be interested in helping us with this huge undertaking of making a prosthetic leg for Polar, please contact me at pamelapatton@comcast.net. At this point, time is our enemy. And, the longer we wait the more damage is done, and the more bone that is destroyed. I don't know if Polar will have the same quality of life he has now, but I know I will try everything in my power to see that he does. I hope everyone that has met Polar says a little prayer for him, as we will need it soon. I will post updates as we go along.

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October 31, 2004
Polar will tell this day's tale: "Well I think my mom lost her mind this year. She dressed me up as a Lady bug. She assured me that there are boy Lady bugs, but I don't believe her. Anyway we went for a visit on Friday to Mrs. Brown's class, and of course I had to wear my costume! The wings kept getting in my way and those darn antennas on the top of my head bothered me a little. The kids were very happy to see me and I went around to each one and they all got a kiss and a mighty tail wag. They all liked my costume and they even knew what I was. I got lots of pats on the head, and then another class came into the room, and I got more scratches, and more kids to kiss and they too all liked my costume.

I was such a good boy on Friday, and I got to stay in Mrs. Brown's room and all the other classes came in to see me. There were a couple of new students that I hadn't met before, and they were so impressed with the fact that I was a handicapped dog. They said, "Oh, he has a handicap just like us!!" I think it made them feel good.

There was one little boy who just moved here from New York, and he was very impressed with the fact that I used to have a wheelchair and now I don't. He said I gave him inspiration and that made me feel really good. We visited for about one hour and then it was time for me to go home. I had a very nice visit with these children and I am looking forward to our next visit, hopefully in two weeks.

I guess being a Lady Bug wasn't so bad after all. But, mom says I make a better devil!

Here are some more photos of the kids enjoying me in my costume.

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September 28, 2004
Polar went on a therapy visit with his Nana to Lancaster Generations Adult Day Care center in Leoola on September 16th. To thank him for visiting, he received some cool bead necklaces that one of the clients made! He loves them, and they have been added to his already growing Goldstock beads that he wears with pride. The client was just so thrilled that he already had beads on that hers just fit right in. It is quite funny to see Polar and his Mardi Gras beads running at you.

Polar had been to visit at Generations (shown here) before and quickly led Nana in the door and into the main room for the visit. He was wearing his biggest smile. He just loves his visits to Generations. The clients were sitting in a large circle waiting in anticipation for his visit when he poked his head through the door. Everyone laughed and clapped. Tina, our hostess, quickly turned around and saw him and introduced him to the group but it wasn't necessary since they all remembered Polar as much as he remembers them. Tina and Nana told everyone a little bit about Polar including his recent experience camping at Goldstock where he got the beads he was sporting so proudly. Leroy, one of the clients, quickly added that he had been to camp too. The visit included at least three trips around the circle to visit with each client individually. At first, some of the clients just look at him. But by the third trip around the circle, everyone has a smile and has taken a turn to rub a favorite spot on Polar.

That's when one of the clients presented Polar with another string of beads to add to his growing collection. He expressed his delight by going to the center of the circle and spinning around to show off his new beads. He was just thrilled and wanted everyone to see how nice he looked. Such a ham. By the time the visit was over everyone including Polar was smiling. Tina said the smiles last all day when Polar comes to visit and he just loves his visits to Generations. They make him feel so special and he makes them happy by showing how thrilled he is to be invited to visit with them. I'm sure he will go back for another visit in the future.

Polar is showing off his bead collection that he wears proudly around his neck. He loves to have hanging from his neck and everyone comments that they are his Mardi Gras beads. Polar gets his beads just by smiling and wagging his tail. They make him feel special. So as long as he lets them alone and they last, I guess we will keep them on.

Friday, Sept 23rd was Polar's first visit to his new school. We were both very anxious and nervous, as meeting ten new students was a big challenge. I left work with directions in my hand, and Polar was all cleaned up, pottied and ready to roll. It took us about 30 minutes to get there from work, a completely different direction than our school last year. So off we went over the hill and through the river to find Reidenbaugh Elementary school.

We arrived right on time, and went straight to the office and checked in. Everyone at the office was very friendly, asking a bunch of questions as they wanted to know all about Polar. Peg came and took us to the room to meet the kids. What a wonderful group of children we have to work with this year. They all are very special and unique. Polar has his work cut out for him and they each have such special needs. Some will utilize Polar to help with their speech, and others for exercise and desire to do things physically. Yet, others will want to show Polar how well they can put the puzzles together, and the list goes on and on. These children have many more needs than the children we worked with last year, so it will be a very big challenge for Polar to help them all. I know he is up to it. I hope they are too.

It was wonderful to see Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Harsh again as it felt like a very long time since the end of the last school year. After we met all the children in our room, we got a tour of the school wing that we will be in, and got to meet all the other students from that wing. Polar loved them all, and tried to visit each and everyone. Some are in wheelchairs, others are on bikes, yet others are on mats on the floor, and Polar wasn't shy about anything. He loves all the children. I hope to be able to visit them as often as I did last year, because I can see that Polar brightened their day, and will motivate them to try just a little harder. It was a great first visit, and I am looking forward to many more.

Take Me Back for More