AABR Memorial

Minka came into my life at the age of four years from the Pennsylvania SPCA, through rescue, only 15 days after my previous boxer, Helmut, died from cardiac failure. Helmut was a tall 80 lb. boy. From Minka’s website photographs I could see that she was small and very thin. Still, I was surprised at how thin she was when she was brought out to the PSPCA adoption center for me on 5/1/03. As it turned out, this was one of the best days of my life, and likely was the same for her.

In addition to being thin, Minka came with several old healing scars, a piece missing from one of her ears and several missing and damaged teeth. She had also recently delivered a litter of puppies. Clearly she had had a terrible beginning. All that the PSPCA staff could tell me was that she was brought to them by a man saying he had seen her wandering the streets for days. On a happier note, one of the PSPCA staff members told me that she had taken a special interest in Minka. She went on to tell me about their regular afternoon walks as well as how well Minka got along well with the staff. This caring woman cautioned me about Minka’s aggression towards other dogs. I soon figured out that this was a survival trait from being on the streets. In the years after I adopted her, this was the only problematic behavior Minka displayed. Whether outside walking or looking out the window at home, Minka’s hair would rise from her back and she would bark aggressively whenever she spotted another dog. The sole exception to this were my friend’s King Shepherds who she was introduced to the afternoon that she came home with me. Living only one block away, we all regularly visited between both homes. There was never a problem between her and any of those dogs.

Throughout her life with me, until the end, Minka was never sick, never missed a meal, enjoyed when I entertained friends at home and always looked forward to our twice a year road trips to visit family in upstate New York. One of her nicknames was “Dancer” as she would dance at the front door when the doorbell rang. Friends who knew her would often press the bell a few extra times just to see her dance a little longer! She also loved Cigar Nights when friends from work would come over on a Friday night; eat, drink wine and smoke cigars. She was always right beside us in the living room and seemed right at home in the dark smoky haze that filled the house on those occasions.

In early 2008, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent successful surgery that April. Two weeks before my surgery I woke up to Minka coughing in the middle of the night. I took her to the vet the next morning. He detected a subtle arrhythmia and was concerned that this was an early sign of congestive heart failure. We were referred for a work-up at the University of Pennsylvania. Ironically this coughing turned out to be from some sort of cold and resolved 24 hours after it started. What we learned from Minka’s work-up was that she had early signs of boxer cardiomyopathy. Already on edge because of my impending surgery, I prayed that Minka was not becoming seriously ill. As it turned out, Minka did well for another two and one-half years. I did well from my surgery and was walking her in front of my home only 48 hours after getting off the operating table!

We went to Penn every 6 months for evaluation of the cardiomyopathy. Fortunately, Minka’s condition remained stable. Each time we left there I was thankful for the good news, but also knew that the disease would eventually progress. Fortunately for Minka, this progression came quickly and did not really affect her functioning until her final few days. I was in contact with her vet and cardiologist during the final three weeks that her endurance and stamina began to diminish. The signs however became crystal clear to me the night before she died that she would not recover. By that point she was collapsing an average of 3 times each day. Focusing on her comfort and dignity, I made the decision in the middle of the night that she could not continue for another day, barely able to walk outside and unable to climb stairs or enjoy her meals. I was also very worried that she would injure herself by falling. The next morning I called Minka’s vet. The staff had us come right over. They could not have been more accommodating and sympathetic. Minka’s last memories were of me holding and comforting her. It was a very peaceful end for a very special dog. I am so thankful that I was able to give her almost 8 years of good life after the horrible beginning she had. I miss her so much.

Andrew Balluffi