For the Love of Faith: Happy 17th Birthday!

Faith DaBaldo photo by Jeanette DaBaldo

There are beautiful scriptures about Faith. Songs of Faith. People have Faith. Faith is such a powerful five-letter word. And this beautiful Siberian Husky, aptly named "Faith," sure embodies the word as she is celebrating her 17th Birthday today! Faith DaBaldo's hu-mom, Jeanette, is a dear friend of mine. I first "met" beautiful Faith and Jeanette when I was hosting a photo contest here on my blog back in 2013. When I saw the photo of Faith decked out in a life jacket swimming in a pool, I thought what a pretty puppy! Only to find out this bright-eyed beautiful Husky "pup" was actually all grown up; a senior dog at 13 years of age! This led to an in-depth conversation about arthritis in senior dogs, alternative therapies, and it not only led to an article I wrote about this, but also forged a special bond of friendship between us. With having chosen alternative care for my Gibson, we chatted much about the various therapies and how our Husky babies were doing with them, and our friendship just bloomed ever since.

 "Faith: Confidence. Trust. Belief."

Fast forward four years, and Faith's beautiful face and bright blue Husky eyes still exudes so much youth and love. Faith is truly a testament to having faith and hope! You may remember I wrote a blog post (read here) and an article on her in the former American Pet Magazine (below) about the alternative treatments she was getting for her degenerative arthritis including stem cell therapy, aquatic treadmill, acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage, cold laser therapy, and Assisi loop treatments. Jeanette's quest was for the best possible care for her beloved girl.


Jeanette was also my guest on my show "The Sibe Vibe" on Dog Works Radio back in 2014 and we talked all about Faith's therapies. You can tune in here:




At the time, I quoted Jeanette as saying, "I'm not looking for the fountain of youth. I'm hopeful this will ease any pain and stiffness she may otherwise experience, and give her the quality of life she deserves."
"Faith: A faithful, kind beauty and trusted friend."  
~Sarah Trett, My Little Eden

 What an incredible inspiration this story is for all of us dog parents! Trust your instincts with your dog's care, have a good relationship with your vet, research, research, and research some more, and have faith in the care route you choose for your dog for it truly is a journey you will travel together. I know firsthand from my experience with Gibson, each and every time you overcome a medical hurdle, it truly is a miraculous feeling, and you have faith to continue on.

With Faith celebrating her 17th Birthday and looking every bit as young and beautiful as she did when I first saw her lovely photo at age 13, sure makes me think Jeanette may just have indeed discovered that canine fountain of youth.

 If you follow us here or on our FiveSibes Facebook page, you know how my boy Wolf and Faith have "a thing!" They've wooed to each via Skype, send puppy love letters to each other, and we sure do have a bit of fun with them! So, naturally, Wolfie left a message on our driveway for his sweetheart, Faith, on her special day...
Winky-winky, kissy-kiss, Faithy!

Comments

  1. Clarence JeongOctober 3, 2017 at 1:13 AM

    Happy birthday grandma Faith

    ReplyDelete
  2. ♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥October 3, 2017 at 9:37 AM

    Happy Birthday to that beautiful lady Faith - we are so happy for you.

    Woos - Lightning, Misty, and Timber

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tails Around the RanchOctober 3, 2017 at 1:20 PM

    *♪ღ♪Happy★Birthday to beautiful Faith! ♪ღ♪* Loads of ear scratches on your extra special bark day.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brian's Home BlogOctober 3, 2017 at 2:15 PM

    Happy Birthday beautiful Faith from all of us!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lola The Rescued CatOctober 4, 2017 at 12:15 PM

    Happy Birthday, Faith! We are sending lots of happy purrs your way today.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownOctober 4, 2017 at 1:14 PM

    What a beautiful lady you are Faith! Sending you the warmest wishes for a wonderful birthday filled with all the love, hugs, snuggles and treats that you deserve.

    ReplyDelete
  7. BaymonkeyOctober 4, 2017 at 1:52 PM

    Happy birthday Faith! You are so pretty and full of life! May you lead many more happy healthy years!

    ReplyDelete
  8. LaylasWoofOctober 4, 2017 at 2:09 PM

    Happy Happy Birthday Faith, you are beautiful and may you have many more wonderful years with lots of love, hugs and treats

    ReplyDelete
  9. Golden Daily ScoopOctober 4, 2017 at 2:14 PM

    Happy Birthday, Faith! We hope you have a fun filled day filled with lots of love and tasty treats.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Talent HoundsOctober 4, 2017 at 2:20 PM

    Happy Birthday Faith. What a lovely story of hope and love. Hope she has more happy healthy years.

    ReplyDelete
  11. UnknownOctober 4, 2017 at 4:11 PM

    17 years young! What a gorgeous, gorgeous girl. It is such a blessing and certainly the hard work of her family to keep her so fit and healthy. I love her story.

    ReplyDelete
  12. The Daily Pip October 4, 2017 at 6:22 PM

    Awe, love a feel good story! I'm glad Faith is doing so well and happy birthday!

    Definitely having a vet you can trust AND trusting your own instincts are key.

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousOctober 4, 2017 at 7:18 PM

    Happy Birthday, Faith! A lovely lady with an inspiring story!

    ReplyDelete
  14. M DawsonOctober 4, 2017 at 8:10 PM

    Happy Birthday sweetlady (and I know you must have a portrait in the attic you look so YOUNG!)

    The fact you are doing so amazingly is down to the wonderful love and care I am sure.

    Happy Birthday!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Shelby GottschalkOctober 4, 2017 at 10:40 PM

    Happy birthday Faith!! You deserve to have such a special day. :) -Shelby G.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sandy KubillusOctober 4, 2017 at 10:50 PM

    Happy birthday Faith! I'll have to listen to your radio interview about arthritis. I tried cold laser on one of my dogs and it didn't make too much of a difference for her arthritis. I'm glad that your treatments have worked for her and made her healthy to live to such an age.

    ReplyDelete
  17. BethOctober 4, 2017 at 11:15 PM

    Happy 17th Birthday to Faith! It does seem like they discovered the fountain of youth. My dog is just starting laser therapy for hip dysplasia and it seems to be working.

    ReplyDelete
  18. AnonymousOctober 4, 2017 at 11:34 PM

    WOW! That's an amazing story. And I couldn't agree more with alternative therapies, having faith in the path you choose after much, much research. Due diligence and faith! Fantastic. Happy Birthday Faith!

    ReplyDelete
  19. ImpurrfectlifeOctober 5, 2017 at 9:06 AM

    God bless you Faith. Happy 17th birthday! What a blessing. Hope you enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  20. DawgBloggerOctober 5, 2017 at 11:56 AM

    Awww, happy birthday, baby! I hope you had the loveliest day. <3

    ReplyDelete
  21. UnknownOctober 5, 2017 at 1:35 PM

    Wow, 17! That's amazing! I started to listen to the podcast as well. So interesting to hear all of the alternative therapies that have been tried for Faith. I agree wholeheartedly with your advice to have a good relationship with your vet, and then really educate yourself so that you can be your dog's advocate and do what you can to help them when they need it. Great post! Faith is absolutely beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Viktoria MarquardtOctober 10, 2017 at 11:55 PM

    17! Wow, that's such a great age for a bigger dog. Hopefully there are many more to come. Happy birthday Faith!

    ReplyDelete

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