As I sit here with the heaviest heart I have ever had I write this to all the people who share in the loss of our beloved Surge:
He was not just a dog to me he was the apple of my eye , the very center of my soul, my friend and partner that brought me so much happiness .His showmanship was beyond comparison and his ever willing need to fulfill my highest expectations of him is beyond explanation.
He was my Great one you know the one that comes once in a lifetime.Some people never get this chance of a lifetime and I am so thankful I was able to spend 3 wonderful years with him at the end of my lead.He gave his heart & soul to me each and everytime we showed win or lose.In the heat of the summer or the chill of the winter and in the pouring down rains he gave me 100% of himself at all times.
Not only was he a great showdog he was a great family dog and companion and a great sire of his many champion offspring.He was just an all around joy to have in your life.He touched the lives of many people and made friends and fans all around the country.
It is so very sad that is life was taken so young all because of the mistake of a trusted vet of many years.Surge was a calm quiet dog the type you did not even know was there half the time ( Unless you had liver or a bird in your pocket) .
Surge never chewed a thing in his life but on this past monday Surge decided to chew his crate pad why we will never know but I can only suspect it was because the RV left for shows without him for the very first time.He was to stay home with my mom & Bill while my husband and I went to some local shows.I think he was mad and that is why he chewed his bed.The next few days were hell for my dear mother & Bill as they watched him get sick and then trusted our vet to do WHATEVER was needed.It was in his hands to make sure Surge got better.It was his neglect to go in and open up surge right away that cost this wonderful dog his life.By the time Surge was taken to NC state university on Saturday it was to late to save him.God if only we would have known he would still be here with us this very day.This has been a tragic loss of life that should have never happened.
I want to thank each and everyone for there thoughts and prayers at this time.Your emails and calls mean so very much at our time of loss.I know that he touched the lives of many of you as you cheered us along our wonderful journey together.
I have to be strong right now , but oh how hard it is for me most of all.I want to scream and cry and yell but I must stay strong for Surge would have wanted that.
I will remember his gentle face and soft temperament that made me fall in love with him from the very beginning.Oh god how I will miss his presence.
Thank You to my dear mother & Bill for allowing me the Joy and honor to present him to the fancy and to bring home all those honors that made you both so proud.Thank You for bringing him into this world and for being by his side when he was was taken away.I know how you will miss him too.
May his memories live on and may we all enjoy each and everyday with our special ones as we never know just how short life can be.
I will miss you until we meet again my dear boy.
My love always,
Dorothea
On March 22,2003 my family experienced the worst pain that you could feel.
On Wed. morning Surge would not eat, being that he never missed a
meal, I said to Bill that something was wrong with him. Bill said he had a
great stool and he was running and playing, so I forgot about it. Surge
sleeps in our bedroom, at 2:00 a.m. he came over to my side, rubbed my arm
with his nose and vomited. We got up and cleaned up everything, put him
outside for a few minutes, he still seemed fine, no temp., at 4:00 a.m. he
vomited again. He was now acting very tired. We all went back to sleep and
when we woke up I called my vet. We brought him in immediately, I asked my
vet to x-ray his stomach, because two days before I had put him in a crate
in the house while I went to town. We have new pups and the mother dog
does not like him going in by them. I have a foamed cushioned crate pad with a zippered cover to take off and wash, he has had it for over two years and
never chewed it. When I returned the corner was chewed, I guess he was mad at me. I put the pieces back together, and there was a small piece
missing. I told the vet. that I think he might have eaten it, he said the x-rays did not show anything. Being foam it might not show up on an x-ray. Trusting my vet. of eight years I did not push it any more. I went to see Surge on the second day that he was at the vets, and he seemed to be getting better. It made him upset to see us, so I did not go back the next day. I went back on the fourth day, he was squirting out black diarrhea, and he looked terrible. The black diarrhea was blood, I told my vet to get in touch with North Carolina State University Vet School. You can not get in there with out a referral. That is when the nightmare began, Surge cried in pain for the entire one hour and fifteen minute drive to the vet hospital. When we got him there they took him directly into intensive care. They could not believe that he could walk in on his own. Surge wanted to live and he fought a great battle, I will never forgive myself because I trusted my vet. They ultra sounded Surge immediately, they found the piece of foam, they called in there top surgeon, and within one half hour Surge was in the operating table. He was in shock from loss of blood. These doctors and nurses were great. I knew when the doctor came out of the operating room during the operation, I knew we had trouble. 90% of Surge's intestines were dead from the blockage. They could have saved him very easily had my original vet told me to take him there, this is a man that I loved, respected, and TRUSTED. My family will never be the same, he wasn't only a dog he was our friend. Dorothea had to leave the show and come home, you know what he meant to her. I am telling you this long story because if we can save one dog's life from the pain that my dog went through. I can't begin to tell you how we feel.
Sincerely,
Dorothea Vooris Simberlund
Dot & Bill Simberlund
