Cheick's Love Story
Kevin and I struggled while thinking we could not afford to keep Cheick comfortable and full of life; but thanks to some great veterinarians and the donors of Ellie's Rainy Day Fund, we are able to continue making memories and enjoying the love Cheick brings to our home. I can’t tell you how comforting it was to know his medical care was covered. Thank you, thank you, thank you Ellie's Rainy Day Fund!
A Message from Cheick's Family...
When I finally gave my husband, Kevin, the approval to get a dog he was ecstatic. Kevin had always wanted a dog as a child, but never got one. He spent quite some time researching different dog breeds hoping he would come across a breed that would be friendly, agile and offer protection for our family while he is traveling on business.
Following a lot of questions about our ability to care for a Beauceron, a Canadian breeder approved our request for a male. Cheick Goliath D'Lanime was born February 25, 2012 and has been a joy to our world since we got him! Since we are serious soccer fans, we thought it only appropriate that we name our new boy after another energetic soul—the legendary midfielder Cheick Tiote.
Our Cheick was your typical puppy and enjoyed chewing things like our faux wood window blinds and our daughters' outdoor playset. Still, he and his human Dad quickly fell in love. He was such great company for me and the kids and took his job of protector quite seriously whenever Kevin was traveling. Even though he hates the doorbell (nobody is getting in!), has a very sensitive stomach and on occasion steals our food, his snuggles are the best and his love for a Jolly Egg is unsurpassed!
Cheick started having sneezing attacks. He would sneeze 20-30 times in a row, occasionally banging his head on the ground in the process. It didn't take long for his nose to be injured so, with guidance from our vet, we gave Cheick antihistamines. After a few days, Cheick's sneezing seemed under control, but he developed diarrhea. We noticed that his hind legs were trembling more than usual as well (we always thought the trembling was from excitement).
Then one weekend, we came home from a long day of dance competition and a swim meet to a very sick Cheick. Not only had he gotten sick in our family room, he was also disoriented and unresponsive.
We had no idea how sick our boy was until we got him to the ER. It turned out Cheick was in a hypocalcemic crisis; a life-threatening calcium deficiency due to a failing or failed thyroid. Unfortunately, this condition was also effecting his heart.
Kevin and I struggled while thinking we could not afford to keep Cheick comfortable and full of life; but thanks to some great veterinarians and the donors of Ellie's Rainy Day Fund, we are able to continue making memories and enjoying the love Cheick brings to our home. I can’t tell you how comforting it was to know his medical care was covered. Thank you, thank you, thank you Ellie's Rainy Day Fund!
Cheick's Family
Update, 2021
We lost our beloved Cheick a year after you had saved his life. It was in August his quality of life had declined so drastically that most days he stayed in his chair sleeping and keeping a watchful eye on us. But during that year we shared an enormous amount of time together, as he still enjoyed being outside playing with soccer ball or his jolly-egg. We wouldn’t trade that extra time for anything in the world. While his sickness was sudden and unexpected we are Thankful for Ellie’s Rainy Day Fund, giving us the gift of all those additional memories.