Man's best friend receiving a helping hand

By Bryan Brasher
Memphis Commercial Appeal
article at commercialappeal.com

Sunday, February 22, 2009

DANCYVILLE, Tenn. -- Someone once said that every man, before he dies, should be lucky enough to meet that perfect friend, own that perfect dog and know the embrace of that perfect woman.

Blake Kukar is still looking for the woman.

But he doesn't complain too much because he's been lucky enough to find the perfect friend and the perfect dog all rolled into one very special creature.

A reddish-gold Hungarian Vizsla known as "Bateman" has been Kukar's dog for more than a decade now. He's been his friend for every day of that time as well -- and Kukar is trying to help his friend stretch those days as much as modern veterinary medicine will allow.

Bateman is battling a case of terminal canine lymphoma that most veterinarians agree should have killed him months ago.

But Kukar has scoured the country by day, seeking the perfect chemotherapy protocol for his friend. By night, Kukar has assumed the role of Hospice nurse tending to Bateman's nausea and restlessness with Valium and hand-feeding him treats filled with medicine that might help him reach another morning.

Some say it's a bad idea, hanging on so tight to a dog when many would just let go.

But Kukar dares any man to look into his best friend's eyes and do things any differently.

"He's all I've got," Kukar said. "I don't have any family. When I come home at the end of the day, Batmen is it. He's the one who's there for me."

And he's there with just the right words ... so to speak.

"I work for Morgan Keegan in Memphis, and I drive more than an hour both ways every day," Kukar said. "Bateman can always tell when I've had a bad day, and he always knows what he needs to do to make me feel better."

Kukar says Bateman is "almost human" -- and anyone who's ever visited the farm those two share in extreme rural Fayette County can understand what he means.

When Kukar has company, Bateman is no pet that has to be locked away in the garage until the company goes home. Bateman is just part of the crowd.

When Kukar uses his all-terrain vehicle to lead young bird dogs around his neatly manicured property looking for quail, Bateman plays as big a role in the training as anyone.

Bateman has won numerous organized field trials around the Mid-South region. He understands field-trialing.

For that matter, he understands life -- and death.

"He knows he's sick," Kukar said. "He knows it as well as I do."

But the two don't dwell on it.

"We spend a lot of time together," Kukar said. "But we don't sit around and reflect on the way things were when he was healthy -- or on the way things might have been he had never gotten sick.

"We just enjoy the time we have left together."

Kukar knows there'll come a time when he has to let Bateman go. But he believes the decision will be made for him.

He thinks Bateman will virtually sign his own DNR.

But for now, the dog still bounces around in the driveway when Kukar comes home. He still swims when it's warm. He still runs along in front of the four-wheeler, helping to train the trio of four-month-old bird dogs Kukar is working with today.

He has an occasional bad night. But he rises with the sun the next day.

"Bateman is tough," Kukar said. "He rarely ever acts sick. So when he does finally act sick, you know he is really, really sick.

"He'll tell me when it's time for him to go -- and I'll respect his wishes the same way I always have."

To reach reporter Bryan Brasher, call 529-2343; e-mail: brasher@commercial appeal.com. Bryan's blog can be found at commercialappeal.com/brasher.