Meet the Turbes family! We love these people and their dogs!
From Dr. Miranda Thomassen:
The Turbes family first came to us in June 2012 for a second opinion skin consultation on their black lab Tacy. I’m so thankful that we won their trust during those initial visits…this is an amazing family to know! It didn’t take us long to fall in love with Tacy and her sister Tibb -- they are quite the pair.
Skin conditions can be very frustrating to treat and manage, but Cindy and Paul were committed to doing the best for Tacy and followed our recommendations. Today, Tacy has her occasional skin flare-up, but is doing very well on her prescription skin diet and thyroid supplement.
We look forward to many more years working with this family and loving on their sweet girls Tacy and Tibb. :)
Tacy (black) & Tibb (blonde)
Our family consists of three children who are all grown now. When the children were still at home years ago, we started out with a cat, which our children named Pumpkin because of his beautiful coat. We then got a dog we all loved dearly. Her name was Maddy. She was a Lab mix with long hair like a golden Retriever. She was very gentle and kind to everyone. But, she really ran the house.
Pumpkin got old and passed away. Maddy was with us for over ten years and died suddenly. It was not until she passed that we truly realized how much a part of the family she was. Even the neighbors missed her, including the mailman who she would accompany on his walk in the neighborhood.
So now our home was without kids (graduated from college and living elsewhere) and no loving pet to greet us when we got home. It took five years before we felt comfortable looking for a new dog. It had to be a lab mix, and preferably black, not sure why black, but that was what we were looking for.
We found an ad in the paper looking for a home for free Lab mix puppies. So on a very very cold December morning, we headed out to find our new family member...and ended up bringing two wonderful lab mix puppies home.
Yes, two and in the weather. We don’t recommend puppies in the weather; but would not give our two loving friends up for anything.
We gave them the names Tacy (black) and Tibb (blonde) which our older daughter picked out from one of her favorite childhood books, “Betsy, Tacy & Tibb” by Harriet Lovelace. Little did we know that when we took them to seperate Humane Society puppy manners classes that their names sounded a lot alike, and both of them would follow commands no matter what name we would call.
These two dogs have won the hearts of everyone they meet. They are gentle and look totally different with very different personalities. We love to tell everyone they are from the same litter, as one is tall and blonde and the other is typical Lab statue and very black. Both love to greet people and are very gentle.
These dogs are our grandson’s best friend, from the moment he was able to crawl all over them; a true breed that will put up with anything, even being bit in the tummy by a teething child.
*** Paul and I work part time now, but keep busy at home playing with the dogs.= They are always at the door greeting us and waiting to play.
Tibb loves playing with her ball. Both of the dogs love the water. They have a small pool on the back deck to enjoy in the hot summer days.
Even though our three grown children were not living at home to pick out the family pets, they all love them, and the dogs look forward to them visiting.
Our son and daughter-in-law live in Kansas City and have two bulldogs adopted from a rescue in the Chicago area, where they used to live. They visit often with the dogs, and the house is taken over by the four animals, which get along very well.
*** We first started coming to Gentle Doctor hospital when Tacy was having skin issues. The staff there was amazing and very concerned about her and started various tests. It was found that she had a thyroid issue, and medication was prescribed, which was very successful. Without their expertise and love for her, she would not be where she is today.
THANK YOU DOCTORS and STAFF.
Having a pet is just like having a child in your life. As a child growing up, I don’t think you realize how much time and care it takes to have a pet, but their unconditional love is worth every bit of it.
*** One thing we have learned with these two dogs is to pay attention to their daily behaviors. If there is a change, it is very important to pay attention to that change.
Tacy was limping a little. We really didn’t think much of it. Then she would try to go to the bathroom but had to lift one of her back legs. Things got worse. We took her to our vet (NOT GENTLE DOCTORS); x-rays were done on the hips as that is a common issue with labs. Finally we were sent to a specialist only to find out she had a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). Surgery was performed. It was very successful; only for her other ACL to tear, more than likely due to not paying attention to the first situation in a timely manner causing extended weight on the good leg
If you have a dog that needs to have ACL surgery, the recovery is long, but so important that you follow the timeline. Tacy has not had any issues since then. We had a challenge, as when she was feeling better she wanted to play with Tibb, and we had to be very careful not to allow it in order for the leg to heal.
*** I have to say we are very particular to Lab mixes. They fit our personalities the best. Second, we love our son’s bulldogs.
Tacy (black) & Tibb (blonde)