A Long Distance Goodbye

This week has been full of little adventures! We are getting settled into our tiny home 🏠 and enjoying it thoroughly. I’ve realized the mess can get out of hand VERY quickly, but in the same token it gets cleaned up very quickly which is nice! I’m realizing just how small my fridge is and I’m learning how to downsize my groceries considerably. It’ll take a bit to get used to groceries every four days and this limited space.

We really enjoyed our stay in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. This place has special ties for me in particular because my grandparents immigrated just South West of here. In 1951, my Opa and his brother Adam came to Canada. They docked in Halifax and rode the train all the way to Moose Jaw. Here they got off and nobody was waiting for them. At 21 years old, my Opa didn’t speak a word of English nor did his 23 year old brother. They spent the night sleeping on the seats of the train station and in the morning a kindly CPR attendant bought them breakfast at a local café. Around noon their Uncle Jacob came to town and picked them up. A year later, in October 1952, my Oma and five month old mother docked in Quebec City and rode the train to the same station where Opa was waiting for them. It was so humbling to see this space myself.

Moose Jaw is also home to some very famous underground tunnels that run below the city! These have been around since the turn of the century and were first dug by the CPR, then used for the oppression of Chinese immigrants promised a better life but given quite the opposite. We learned about the excruciating and inhumane treatment the Chinese received at the hands of Canadians and it was very eye opening. In the late 20’s many of these tunnels were used by none other than Al Capone himself and his rum running business to Chicago. His story was fascinating and how he managed to be Public Enemy Number One as well as the Richest Man in the world. A brilliant man; too bad he used his powers for evil and not good!

We weren't allowed to take photos during the tour!

On Monday August 5^th, we made the loooooong drive from Moose Jaw straight to Winnipeg. The girls did VERY well, considering the first two shorter truck rides were PAINFUL and full of a lot of yelling! Winnipeg has been a HUGE surprise for us! We had NO idea how BIG Winnipeg was or how much history lived here! I am in love. We decided to extend our stay by one day just so we don’t feel rushed and could get everything in. Yesterday we took in the Royal Canadian Mint and found out so many interesting facts. My favourite fact is that the loonie was actually supposed to have pictured a canoe with travellers in it! During transport from Ottawa to Winnipeg the main stamp was either lost or stolen – and never recovered! Because of this, they had to scrap that picture completely to prevent counterfeit and later the picture of the loon was selected and used. Our tour guide made the joke that the “loonie” is a much better name than the “canoe-y”.

Captain Canuk

After touring the Mint, we headed down town to find the Forks. It is a beautiful spot where the Assiniboine and Red Rivers meet to form a fork. This was a very important intersection and was once the third busiest dock in the entire world!! The Red River is also unique because it is one of the few rivers that flows North from North Dakota. And, of course, Winnipeg is home to Louis Riel and all of the history around his Rebellions and fighting the government to recognize his people (Metis) and protect their culture and their land. We took a river boat ride that also showed us some of the Chicago-style architecture which is found in Winnipeg. Did you know Winnipeg has the largest concentration of 1920’s Chicago-style architecture? Even more than Chicago!!! Most of the architects were being schooled in Chicago and this is why. Unlike Chicago and other cities, Winnipeg did not tear down those buildings but rather they restored them.

This morning we had a beautiful walk around Assiniboine Park visiting the statue of Winnie the bear and Corporal Coleburn. We LOVE the history around the real Winnie and enjoyed viewing a special little museum on the grounds devoted to Winnie, the Corporal and A.A.Milne. The grounds were absolutely beautiful and we even caught a little steam train ride. The weather was perfect and we got lunch at the little café in the park.

We had high hopes of making it to the Lower Fort Garry for some more history, but our plans quickly changed.

Two weeks ago, we dropped our boy, Sarge, off with my mom and dad to be cared for while we were gone. (The cat, Sykes, is also with them.) He is about 14 and had an annual check up in May. Here, he received a clean bill of health. He had no hearing and a weak hind end, but mostly he was doing very well. Although we didn’t like leaving him behind, we knew it was the best choice. He has been showing his age and frankly, we weren’t confident he would even be able to get up the steps to the fifth! He was in good hands with my folks with a big yard and lots of love. About one week ago I received a worried text from my mom expressing how he just doesn’t seem to be himself. Every day after that the message was a little more worried and a little more serious. He was getting weaker and had stopped eating.

When his decline really started happening, we were in Moose Jaw and it was August long weekend. There were a few hopeful signs so we decided to wait until Tuesday to get him to the vet to see what was going on. During the weekend he continued to lose strength and my dad had to carry him up and down the stairs for him to get to the yard. He didn’t seem to be in pain, but he obviously wasn’t comfortable either. He was taking the odd treat and drinking some water so that was positive. Tuesday morning his condition isn’t well and my parents take him in. After a thorough exam, she does not give him a hopeful prognosis. There are some solid speculations thrown out but ultimately, we wouldn’t be able to tell anything without some tests. We decided to start with blood work and see what that showed us.

Today as we enjoyed Winnie and the gardens, we anxiously waited for test results. Around 1:30pm we got the unpleasant phone call from my mom updating us on what they found. It turns out most of his organs were in distress and had started shutting down. She also suspected cancer/tumor on either his liver, pancreas or both. The potential for internal bleeding was high. We were afraid this was coming and had discussed Kevin flying home to be with Sarge, but after conversation with the vet we decided that wasn’t reasonable because he would only have two days at best to die naturally AND it would be better to help him through this faster than having to endure waiting for Kevin to get there. We decided to euthanize him. And it broke our hearts. 💔

My mom made the appointment and took him in this afternoon. At 6:00pm our time we were able to Face Time with the vet and my parents and Sarge. He looked so spent. My heart broke in to a million pieces. We were able to talk with him and just enjoy how beautiful he was. When we were ready, the vet came in and was able to let him end his life peacefully. We all bawled and it was terrible. He was so so important to us.

Sergeant (Sarge) was a different kind of dog. He was more human than dog. He was a border collie. In 2007 during my B. Ed practicum, I was heading into the Save On Foods in North Red Deer to pick up barley for a grade five experiment. On my way out I saw a paper ad with two border collies on it. I called the number and set up an appointment to come view the dogs. Kevin and I headed out to Klassic Kennels that Saturday. The first dog we viewed was a female and she was VERY skiddish and uneasy! The second dog was Sarge. He marched out of his pen and did a giant loop around the kennel only to find himself sitting right upon Kevin’s feet, as if to say, “Let’s go home.” As we got to know him, he taught us all the things he knew. He was super smart. We never taught him how to come, sit, stay, lay down; he just knew it all! We did teach him how to roll over and fetch. Fetching was detrimental to his health though; once he learned how to fetch, he didn’t know when to stop! We often said he would go until he died.

Sarge did a lot of camping and quadding, squirrel hunting and walks. He was a really fun dog to have. As he aged, he settled into city life easily and was the perfect deck dog. He loved popcorn and being at our feet. He had the best head tilt. He was our best friend. And you were among the lucky few if you ever heard him bark. He would only give one woof—and it was ten times bigger than he was.

We had a BIG love for Sarge and now there is a BIG hole in our hearts. There will never be another Sarge.

With us from April 14 2007-August 7 2019 💙

With heavy hearts we will carry on. Tomorrow is a slower day and laundry is on the menu. Friday we carry on to Ontario.

“Having a dog will bless you with many of the happiest days of your life, and one of the worst.”