PURA HAZEL
02/26/96 to 09/02/00

Today Saturday, September 2, 2000, Pura Hazel, our wonderful red merle Aussie with the piercing blue ghost eyes, left her painful existence on earth to wait for Terry and for me at the Rainbow Bridge.  I had to write something so others would know our joy in just being part of her life and how she enriched our lives and those of so many others. We are better for knowing her and having the privilege of sharing time with her. I guess this is my catharsis:

Hazel did not come to us as a puppy, she was just past three. She wasn't wanted there anymore, they had a new baby and Hazel had the most wondrous bark. She barked when she was happy and since Hazel enjoyed life very much this became a problem. Hazel was there first, but the husband hated her, and he said the baby needed the quiet. 

Her previous owner sent a video for us to review and see if we wanted her. There on the screen was our Hazel, a vibrant red merle with the Aussie Blue ghost eyes looking straight into the camera at us. We could never have turned her down, that was our dog in the video, there was never any question. She flew from Colorado to her new home in Reno and arrived late one night at the Delta Dash Cargo area. As soon as we removed her from the crate, she acted like we were her best friends. Hazel was always everyone's best friend and she greeted them all with very happy barks. So it was God's will that Hazel came to
us. She was my mother's day present, heck all I ever seem to want is dogs or dog stuff. 

It was not until the next morning that we were able to see her clearly in the light of day. The hair had been hacked off her hindquarters, her feet were matted with mud, she had mats all through her coat and what coat you could see was dead and dull, her teeth were broken (probably nutrition and fighting) and worn down from chewing fleas. 

That day Hazel was bathed (she loved baths), combed (she loved the attention and always loved grooming), trimmed (she would stand for hours if you wanted that) and taken to the vet. She was found to have no serious problems, mainly nutrition and a bad case of worms. We wormed her, and placed her on a good quality dog food, vet vitamins and many supplements.

The previous owner told me since her marriage and the baby that Hazel was a back yard dog, the husband was allergic and you know dogs and babies (yea right, but she was ours now). I knew Hazel had come to the ranch for both of us. We knew we would be happy with her and she would have a much better life at Megabucks. She was now an inside dog, we lived on acreage so she could bark with happiness if she felt the joy bubbling up. She was fed well and she was loved, very loved.

Hazel was such a lady, she loved everyone and adjusted immediately.  She had the greatest temperament I had ever seen in an Aussie. Hazel would unlock the door for you, show you the silverware and help you take it, but we would hear, because she would be constantly barking to let you know how happy she was that you were here just to visit her.

With a good diet and exercise (and lots of LOVE) we brought Hazel back to the peak of health and bred her to our Las Rocosa Bo Tyler. They presented us with seven wonderful puppies. Two blue eyed blue merle males, two black tri males, one red merle male and one red merle female, both with her eyes and lastly one liver red tri for us to keep (Rustler is with us still and his eyes are the amber ghost eyes). The puppies all had that great temperament. When I took the puppies to the vet for their docking and checkup, Hazel sat in the waiting room, crawled into the lap of a three year old boy and didn't even pay attention to what was being done to her babies. She trusted us and this was a chance for her to get extra loves from someone else, she was always happy to be loved and she would return that love ten fold.  Anyone could steal her puppies, and probably her too. These puppies were all placed in companion homes (but our Rustler) and they too had her wonderful love of life and her great temperament..

Getting a dog at three does not always overcome the problems that started from birth through her earlier years. Hazel had been sadly lacking in care. Her teeth were bad, her bones weren't so good either. She lived to play Frisbee and ALWAYS walked around with one in her mouth. One day while jumping for the Frisbee she came down wrong and compressed two discs in her back. It was the last Frisbee run for the evening and she went to her crate for bed. We thought she had just pulled a muscle, but the next morning she was dragging her hindquarters and had no use of her back legs. She also was trying to give us the Frisbee so she could have just one more jump. She never considered her hips a problem. We immediately carried her to the car and to the vet. He did not think she could be saved, but since this was not his field of expertise, he put us in touch with a canine back specialist. The specialist told us we could give it a try and just what we had to do (the wonderful vet spent over an hour with us on the phone explaining what to expect, how to overcome it and what we were facing in a commitment, and he didn't even charge us). Hazel spent a week in 'intensive care' at the vet hospital and when she came home it was to restricted exercise (actually NO exercise) and a continuation of the pred for several months (to help lessen the swelling in the back and allow it to heal). We kept her either crated when we were there or in the larger master bathroom while we were at work. She couldn't stay in a crate all day as she could not hold her urine that long. I even came home at lunch time and carried her out to urinate, but that was still too long. We carried her everywhere, including outside several times a day to do her business. We would line the bathroom every morning and again every evening with beach towels to sop up the urine from drinking so much water while on her meds (pred increases thirst). I mopped the bathroom twice every day and put fresh towels down. I don't think I have ever cleaned a bathroom that much before.

She finally did graduate to spending time in our laps and at our feet on a leash (but still not allowed any free movement). Amazingly she kept a good attitude through this entire period of her care.

Her confinement lasted for four months until Hazel knocked everything out of the low bathroom window and told us she was 'well already'.  Hazel, as healed as she was going to be, joined the crew again. Her back was not so good, definitely no more Frisbees. We counted our blessings that Hazel could be with us just a little longer. 

After a long healing process we decided to breed her one more time (my Aunt and Uncle had a male and so wanted a bitch out of Hazel).  Actually they really wanted Hazel, but that was NOT an option. So we checked with BOTH vets as to their opinion. None thought it would hurt her. She had come back a long way, had build up a lot of muscle and was now moving fairly well. She was bred to my uncle's dog Las Rocosa Joss M.  Hazel blessed us with two red merle boys, one dark liver merle with no copper and Hazel's blue eyes and one with lots of copper and bi-eyes (Megabucks Royal Flush "Reno", owned by Marcia Hodes of Sunnyvale, an agility champion). Hazel did quite well with the litter and her back did not seem worse for the breeding or the puppy rearing. We decided this litter would be her last and it would be better to retire Hazel so she was spayed. With that done she joined the ever growing 'Couch Crew' gang at the ranch.

Hazel is also one of those 1000% Aussies, there is no walk, it is RUN, there is no stay, there is RUN. She loved life everyday. We noticed her hindquarters were getting worse, when she ran she crashed into everything. Her hindquarters did not follow what her forequarters started, she had at least one stitch up every six months. Her last crash was just before we lost her, it took 26 stitches, the incision healed fine, but her back was getting worse. We were willing to keep our High Maintenance bitch because she was so dear to us. We knew we weren't going to 'bubble wrap' her or crate her, she was FULL AUSSIE not to be limited in her joy of life and to be allowed a full love of life. Just as long as she didn't suffer. It was then we noticed Hazel's other problems resurfacing.

She always had problems with vomiting and we ran many tests when she was younger, but nothing ever showed up. She became much worse in a very short time. She was still happy, but she crashed much more, then recently she started loosing her breakfast and dinner. She moved much less, laid down a lot and she was barking less and less, a true sign Hazel was not well. She would lay in her favorite spot and just look at  us, as if she knew what was coming. We knew it was her time to cross to the Rainbow Bridge.

Hazel is there now with many other Aussies, some great and famous, but many more just like her, great to their owners and friends only. We know she is now without pain (a most important thing). She was never a champion on paper or did she produce any (yet, OK Marsha this is your chance), but she had the best temperament of any Aussie I have ever known. 

With broken back she visited the hospital here in Reno every Christmas. Several years ago we had an opportunity to take her with her two red merle puppies. I don't know who made the biggest hit, the adorable puppies or the gutsy Aussie with the broken back that didn't walk so good, but she wanted to say hi to everyone. She gave loves, that wonderful smile of hers, the special look with her piercing blue eyes only she could give, and in a short moment she allowed strangers (although not strangers to her) a share of her joy of life. We actually ran into a local vet and he said she made his Christmas. She didn't get up on his bed, but carefully balanced her back, placed her front two paws on his bed and gave him her best blue eyed stare and barked just once, 'softly' (see mom I know where I am and I can be good when I need to be).

She wasn't ever going to win a beauty contest, she had flying nun ears and those piercing blue eyes, but DAMN she had the BEST temperament.  Sure I hated her barking at times and I know that was the reason we were allowed to be part of her life, but I can just see her now at the Rainbow Bridge barking, running and jumping, finally WITHOUT PAIN, but we miss her so much. And Oh yes, when she came to us she was terrified of men. She became my Terry's dog and I know he misses her even more than I. 

You don't need to be a champion to be great and Hazel was one great Aussie, when she passed she left those indelible paw prints on the hearts of all those she touched. She will be sorely missed at Megabucks. It is way too quiet here now without her bark. Maybe if I listen carefully late at night when it is really quiet I can still hear her bark come through the open window above our bed, carried to us on the wind by way of the Rainbow Bridge. The joyous bark of Hazel, barking happily without pain. I will listen often for Hazel and always remember a very special lady whose stay here on earth was ever so short, but even that short time was filled with so much joy. 

That is all I can say because I can't see to type any more due to the tears. Hazel, we miss you so!