This is Ti.
Ti’s real name is Tiberius, but he doesn’t know that. I don’t often tell people his real name, because they usually ask if he was named after Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, and I am a terrible liar. They never seem to buy the Roman Emperor thing. Anyway.
This is what Ti looks like now, more or less. Maybe a bit more grey in the muzzle. Sugar Lips.
He is 4.5 years old, he’s an American Mastiff, no, I don’t have a saddle for him, yup, he eats a lot, no, he won’t eat your dog, nope, not your small children either, sorry I can’t help you out there.
Ti has cancer.
But that isn’t what this post is about. This post is about Ti the dog. Not Ti the Dog with Cancer, or Ti the Dog who is in an Incredible Amount of Pain. This post isn’t even about Ti the Dog Whose Person is Terrified About Having His Leg Removed but Is Even More Terrified to Lose Him. This is just about Ti the dog.
Ti came home to me as a big fat meatball with a smushy crinkled face.
This is what he looked like the day I met him, when he was 4 weeks old. This also marks the last time I was able to lift him. Ok, not really. That was a couple of months later.
When Ti got home, he met his “big” Brother, Kingston. Now we just say Kingston is his “older” brother.
He also met his sisters, Ava and Zofia.
And eventually gained another brother, Milo, the foster failure
.
Ti grew, and he grew. When he was all done, he was the biggest being in our house at 220lbs. Roughly half of that is his head. I’m only sorta exaggerating.
Like most dogs, Ti enjoys the finer things in life. Digging in the trash can, peeing on things, waking us up at 3 am to poop, and his all time favorite, laying in the middle of the floor in the dark so you trip over him, and flail around like a drunken ballerina trying not to kill yourself or land on him. You know, fancy stuff. He’s thoughtful too, saving me from having to open the bag of dog food by opening it all by himself. Moving the couch while we are sitting on it, so we don’t have to bother ourselves moving it for him. Helping people stay in shape by drooling in their bowl of m&ms. That’s just the kind of guy he is.
Ti is also the kind of guy that doesn’t ask for a whole lot. He likes his crappy bed, and eschews the nicer ones. He doesn’t care much for toys, won’t beg for your food. He loves his cuddles, but won’t pester you for more when you need to do something else. He is friendly but not overbearing, protective but stable, slow to anger and easy to please. The only thing that gets him howling is when someone has the audacity to leave him outside for periods exceeding 3 minutes.
Ti is the kind of dog that makes you want to do anything you can to save him. And that is what we are going to do.