The
Book:
WALKING WITH THE SHADOW OF LOVE
The Remarkable Story of Lakota and The Zeakie Dog
by Margo Bowblis
Available in
hard cover
,
paperback
and
Kindle on
Amazon.com and
in
hard cover and
paperback from Barnes & Noble
Please disregard "Temporarily out of stock" message on Amazon. Books are
printed on demand and will be delivered in 7 to 10 days.
All photographs below the white line are by
Demitrius of Infinity Photography, 574 Newark
Pompton Turnpike, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444 (973)256-4000
www.infinity8photo.com
All photographs above the white line are by Margo.
Lakota tries to cool off by resting in some shady pebbles.
I shot this picture with my phone one day because I loved the lighting
on Lakota's beautiful face.
Lakota strikes a pose for Demitrius on a steamy, hot summer day.
No words are necessary--a quiet look conveys the close connection
between Lakota and Margo as they rest by the lake on a warm summer day.
Two years and three months after his stem-cell, at age 11, Lakota is able
to be out in his beloved woods, happily exploring in the snow, thanks to
the continued benefit from his stem-cell procedure.
*In this procedure, the stem cells are extracted from body fat removed
under anesthesia and injected into the joints.
Lakota is a very athletic Labrador who loves to
jump off of high places and tear, full throttle, through the woods. He had
done this every day since he was a puppy, and he had really chewed up his
joints. By October, 2012, he had done so much damage, that he was having
trouble getting up and walking, to go out at night. If he ran around with
his friends or played one of the games he loved—flying disc, tennis ball
gun, sling ball, etc.—he paid a terrible price in pain and immobility.
We had tried various pain meds and anti-inflammatory meds—both conventional
and holistic—but none of them worked, and some of them were really upsetting
Lakota’s digestive system. Our vet, Dr. Malathy Rao, of Park View Veterinary
Hospital in Boonton, N.J., had been doing stem cell* procedures for
arthritis. After a thorough exam she determined that Lakota would be a
candidate for stem cell* therapy.
The results have been spectacular! On January 25, Lakota celebrated his
eleventh Birthday and the first quarter of the third year since his stem
cell procedure. He still runs like the wind and plays all his favorite
games. If you click on the link, you can see a four minute video on YouTube
about his procedure:
Click here to view video.
The beginning of the action part of the video was shot the first time we let
him off the leash, after the prescribed amount of on leash time, following
his procedure. Some of the video was shot as recently as last summer, and he
is still going strong!
We followed Dr. Rao’s every direction exactly, for Lakota’s aftercare. I
think that is one of the reasons that it is lasting so long and he is doing
so well. The other reason is that Dr. Rao and Dr. Madan Veluvolu, who did
the
This is Lakota in recovery from anesthesia after his stem-cell
procedure. Dogs get cold and shiver as they come to from anesthesia,
so Doctor Rao has Lakota laying comfortably on a stack of soft, warm
towels and blankets.
surgery with her, did such a great job. They kept Lakota comfortable, and
their facility is immaculate and spacious with roomy recovery areas for
post—op care. I feel so blessed that we have been able to extend Lakota’s
youth so he can continue to have a high quality of life. And it has actually
been more economical than continuous pain meds would have been. No one who
meets him can believe he is eleven years old!
Content of these pages, including all
photographs and illustrations are the property of their owners.
These pages and any of their parts may not be used for any reason
without the express written permission of the owner.
Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Lakota has a very strong work ethic. He will work well for even a young
child, as you can see in this photo, where he is retrieving his dummy
for a six-year-old family member.
Lakota enjoys a top-ten dog experience: a good shake in a cool lake on a
hot day.
This scene was repeated many times: Kota and Zeak tandem retrieve
a stick. Then, when they reach the shoreline, the cooperation turns into
a tug of war!
Lakota and alpha-female pack member, Shy share a tender moment, relaxing
with a shared toy.
Right from the start, Lakota loved and was willing to share his home
with a young male puppy. Their close bond is reflected in
this--one of many pictures of them sleeping together, cuddling.
Two adopted brothers engaging in the endless game of tug-o-war that was
their very favorite mutual activity.
It is with deepest sorrow, that I write of the passing of my beloved Lakota
on March 28, 2016. If you would like to know more about his last years and
the circumstances that forced me to put him down, to save him from suffering,
there is a detailed account of that in my blog. For the time being, I will
be suspending all events while I grieve the loss of my best friend, my
companion, and the light that shone in not only my life, but the lives of
over two thousand people, in his work as a therapy dog, over the course of
his life. He has blessed me with two beautiful visits, but even with that,
right now it feels like the tears will never dry.
Margo
On the day before his last day, we took
Lakota out on the trails he loved. We were just going to walk a little
way, but he went ahead and insisted on going all the way to the dam, one
last time. I don’t know how he did it with his red blood count so low
that he needed a transfusion. He was an incredible spirit, right until
the end.
This is the last picture of Lakota and me. I
will always treasure it. I don’t think I could bear this loss if he
hadn’t made contact with me. Now, the events that I have been sharing to
comfort others are the only things that are getting me through this.
On this same day, after going all the way to
the dam, I didn’t want Lakota to do his job of bringing in the newspaper
because he had to be exhausted. He insisted on getting it, but four
times he had to lie down and rest. Each time, I tried to take it from
him, but because of his work ethic, he wouldn’t hear of it—he had to do
his job one last time, and no one was going to talk him out of it.
Travel back in time with us, as you scroll down
the page and celebrate the life
of this extraordinary therapy dog, who brightened
the lives of so many people:
