North American wolf - Dakota

It is amazing to think Dakota is in her twelfth year, many of us believed 2009 would be her last. In January 2010 Dakota will have lived with cancer for three years and has outlived many domestic dogs with the same condition. The cancer at the moment is under control but the side effects of the long-term steroid use make her look very moth-eaten with a sparse coat and bloated belly. Who knows how long she will be with us, but at present her spirit and zest for life are still strong and she continues to amaze us in her stoic attitude to the fate that life has brought her. If there was one word to describe Dakota it would be that she is a fighter, not in the aggressive sense but in the spiritual sense. Dakota however is not all about the cancer and we try very hard not to mollycoddle her and treat her differently because of it. It’s true she is a little slower these days and tires a bit quicker but, as she is retired, she takes this all in her stride.