1 post tagged “give thanks”
11 years ago, Ben and I agreed that while we could not have kids together, we could have animals. Ben went looking for the perfect "child" for us and found an adorable litter of black labs. We had a name picked out - Wail. It would be short for "Shadow Brook's Prince of Wales". We visited many times to see the puppies, we where not going to be able to choose our puppy until others chose theirs. We wanted the "right" dog but how to make sure? We came upon a plan. We made a doggie quilt out of some of our old clothes. It smelled like "us" and we took it on a visit to the puppies. They stumbled all over it, chewing on it, sleeping on it. We held them all and watched one little boy pup carry a huge 2 liter plastic bottle all around the pen. We would have picked him on the spot, but we had to wait our turn.
When the day came, we drove back, climbed into the pen and played with all the puppies. We noticed the boy pup who loved the plastic bottles was very happy to see us. We stepped out ot the pen as the guy ahead of us went through his puppy choosing process. He, like us, was wanting a boy pup. I noticed the boy pup we liked so much had run off to hide while the first guy chose. The puppy had crawled into a nook where the quilt was! The guy picked a dog and it was our turn. We climbed back into the pen and sat down to be instantly buried in tiny black bundles of puppy love. We held a few, announced to the pack "who ever picks us gets to come home with the blanket! WHO's WAIL?!" In a heartbeat, all other puppies were displaced as the boy pup who'd been hiding bounded into Ben's arms. Wail. This was our Wail.
He was so small, he fit INTO his food bowl. He fit into the palm of Ben's hands. He got himself stuck between the sliding door and the screen. He chewed the wallboard and the legs of our dining room chairs. He slept in our arms. He was never angry or barky. He was sweet and loving and OURS.
He was my first dog. He's been in our life almost since his birth in May 1997. He's our baby, our child.
And now he can't walk.
It happened a week and a half ago when Liz was visiting. Ben was bringing Wail home from a follow up for a tooth extraction that was still infected and Wail fell while getting out of the car. He twisted his neck and it brought on instant nerve damage. Wail can't lift his paw, it flaps. The leg does not hold his weight, he falls to one side or onto his face. His back legs are weak and he has bad hips. He had used his front legs as his strong legs. Now they don't work and he is confused. He keeps trying to get up and move around, but ends up just laying down.
He is happy. He wags his tail and smiles and he rolls onto his back for belly rubs. He eats when we put a bowl between his legs and he will go to the bathroom when we carry him out to the yard. Sometimes he gets around on 3 legs - lurching and jerking but it exhausts him. And still he does not complain. Every night we lift him into bed so he can snuggle against Ben, just like he has every night since we brought him home.
We put a red harness on him and we pick up up like 80lb luggage and move him around the house. We ask him where he wants to go and he moves his head to lead us. Our other dog, Abbey lays next to him, her body stretched out against his. Our cats kiss him and lick him and lay behind him- trying to catch his wagging tail.
We took him to a new vet today. We like her very much. She sat on the floor with Wail and discussed what comes next. We need to get his tooth infection to go away first. New meds now and maybe another surgery on Tues. Then once we get that under control, steroids to help the nerve inflamation and maybe MAYBE help him feel his leg/paw again. She was not overly encouraging, but she was loving and caring. We have hope that if anyone can help Wail, she can. And if Wail can't be helped, then we are resigned to carry him with us for the rest of his life.
Because he is worth it.
And we are thankful for the love he's brought into our lives.
