24/10/2023
Dakota Kraner
3/1/2019-10/24/2023
This one is a hard one to post, but it was time.
Dakota came into our lives back in November 2019 after her owner passed away from cancer, and she was placed with another family but was a bit too much for them and their other dog. We took her in to house her for a bit BUT Josh said, if she comes home, she isn't leaving....and he was right, she didn't leave and she was just the dog we didn't know we were looking for.
She quickly took to Bryce and became his best bud, she loved snuggling with him and also loved sleeping in the beds of all our exchange girls we have had to help make them feel at home. Everyone who met her, LOVED her, she had a great personality.
The thing I loved best about her is she had an on and off switch, when she needed to relax, she could but when it was show time, she turned it on.
When she came down with a limp in January 2023, and we took her in thinking she just really badly injured herself.....and left with a "she MAY have cancer as this spot is concerning but come back in 30 days for a checkup....if it were my dog, that's what I would do...." (PS: I no longer see this vet as, this response was SO CRAPPY).
My world QUICKLY changed and all my focus was on saving her and doing all I could to make sure she wasn't in pain but we could enjoy as much time with her as would allow. We went from being told she had Osteosarcoma, and I was working down the path to treat that cancer when I then had my world flipped again to it being Lymphoma in the bone, something that is SUPER rare, like SUPER rare. Being super rare isn't the best because that means uncharted territory as not a lot of documentation on best way to treat it.
After processing this all, it was determined she had T-Cell Lymphoma, and we did radiation to try to kill it in 2 spots in her bone and chemo to try to kill it in her body. We did this ALL with a SH*T TON of holistic support to boost her immune system up and help support her through all this. And let me tell you, she ROCKED IT, she never once was sick through all this, and she lived an AMAZING life this summer, back to running, dock diving, swimming, playing catch, cuddling, all while doing weekly chemo.
Our lives were shattered when after 6 months of chemo we found out she was no longer in remission, we did everything we could to get her back into remission, but everything was short lived, we would have success but not for long. However, with that said, Dakota outlived any other dog with the VERY aggressive type of cancer she had by about 79 days, and for that, I am grateful, and also means, we did win, as painful as goodbyes are. (although I ALWAYS want more)
This past weekend her body told us it was time, she lost full control of her hind legs while we were away in South Dakota hunting with Ryleigh.
We came home Sunday night, we have LOVED ON HER since then with so many snuggles and kisses and I love you's, and today we let her go so peacefully in our backyard, on a 70 degree sunny day in October. It was perfect, as perfect as it can be to say goodbye to a very close family member.
We will be travelling to Dock Diving Nationals one dog short, my son is heartbroken (well, we all are but Dakota really was 'his' dog), but he still wants to go and wants Ryleigh to wear Dakota's vest in her honor with him on the dock, so we will honor this wish, with many tears in our eyes.
If you made it this far, I thank you :) Dakota was one of a kind, she was PERFECT for us and although her time was not as long as we would have liked it with us, we are grateful our paths crossed. She is home now with her first owner, who had her named Maddie, and she can tell him ALL about her adventures here with us, and find some kids that she can play with up in Heaven, as Bryce saw in his dream last night.
I want to extend an extremely heartfelt THANK YOU to Bronwyn at Dolce's Legacy, who I would recommend in a heartbeat to anyone who needs nutrition advice for their dogs, or cancer supplement support. She basically becomes part of your family and feels the same pain you do when you say goodbye, and is there for everything, even just an ear to listen. And Dr. Alli at Integrative Veterinary Service, who helped us as well with holistic supplements and saying goodbye to Dakota today. The staff at WVRC (Wisconsin Veterinary Referral Center) Racine is also amazing, Dr. Wirth navigated so amazingly this uncharted water of Lymphoma Bone cancer, and their staff there is so great, everyone loved Dakota and I will actually miss going there weekly to see them.
RIP sweet girl, our home will not be the same without you.