Introduction

Hello,
My name is Jennifer from Illinois. I have had a passion for dogs for many, many years. I got my miniature schnauzer in 1996 when she was only 6 weeks old. My mind was set on a miniature schnauzer because my sister had one.

When I went to the house to see the puppies I had found in the newspaper, there were 10 bundles of joy and energy. Deciding on what puppy to bring home with all of those puppies jumping into my face was hard, but there was one particular puppy that I had not encountered yet. Somehow she managed to very quietly crawl onto my lap & peacefully go to sleep. I was drawn to this puppy and I knew this was the one to take home with me!

I had no idea what to name this puppy with big ol brown eyes & big loopy ears. She was cute as a button and had a sweet disposition. I was deciding between the names "Daisy & Misty." The reason I thought about Daisy was because I had volunteered at a no-kill animal shelter, and I worked with this very sweet, lovable dog named Daisy. Then I started to think that I really liked the name "Misty." I stuck with Misty because the name started to grow on both of us.


Misty grew up to be a laid back, sweet, loving, beautiful dog (although she was a diva). Misty was full of life. She was very vocal and had something to say about everything. Misty would also instantly become best friends with anyone who had food. She thought she deserved a treat each time she went outside, so she would sit by the back door, walk a few feet outside and then come right back in the house looking for a treat. She had a great life!

Misty made an impact on everyone she met. She was a social butterfly. Misty helped to make our house lively and fun. My brother's dog Lacey and Misty were like sisters from the start. Misty had lots of fun running circles around Lacey and following her everywhere she went. They were quite a pair!

In November 2005, Misty started acting weak, and had a episode where she froze and then collapsed. My mom witnessed this when she was letting Misty outside to go to the bathroom, and she almost fell off the deck. Luckily my mom was there to catch her! My sister & I took her to the vet, and he did a routine check-up and some blood panel tests on her. We waited for about 15 minutes for the test results, and then the vet came back in the room with a very pale face. He told us her red blood cell level had dropped significantly. He told us the options for Misty and we chose to do a blood transfusion. The vet predicted she would live a few more months with the blood transfusion. Misty was really sick for a few days after the transfusion but then she bounced back to being her playful, fun-loving self again. This disorder wasn't going to stop her from being her spunky, diva self!

My mom found a condition called "Non-genetic red blood cell disease" on the Internet that fit Misty's symptoms. The vet sent the test results to another lab and they confirmed the diagnosis. The disorder is similar to Anemia, I went to a Miniature Schnauzer yahoo group where I discovered Misty was not the only one with this disease.

For two years, Misty was doing great! Then in August 2007, she had a relapse. This time we caught it sooner, so she was not as sick as she was in 2005. This time she had a grand mal seizure that we witnessed. It was very scary to watch and we rushed her to the vet. He told us that this can happen again, and her put her on Prednisone along with other medications. She gradually got better again.

I'm sad to say that my sweet Misty lost her battle on Nov. 19th, 2007. We had to make the difficult decision to help her cross over the rainbow bridge. Misty will be sincerely missed. I love you so much Misty!

A week or two later, I decided to make a tribute/memorial to Misty online, but most of them cost money & collect information on YOU not the dog. Then I went to one of my supportive yahoo groups who have been with me through Misty's illness. Someone recommend a blog. Then I decided HEY I'm sure there are other people out there exactly like me - searching online for something special for their fur-baby. I decided to make a memorial websites just for miniature schnauzers.

Thank You for being a part of my life Misty

Misty
(Spunky Diva)
Aug 28, 96 - Nov 19, 07