Return from "vacation"

What's that old saying? "The best-laid plans of mice and men..." I tried, I really did. I took my first week off work (for non-medical reasons) in three years. I was going to spend it with my sister who I normally only get to see a few times a year. The plan was to relax, do some shopping, and gear up to get through these next 20 weeks of pregnancy.

The week got off to a nice start. Tracy accompanied me to my prenatal appointment and got to hear the baby's heartbeat - a first for her! After that we hit up the specialty cupcake store and headed off for Edmonton. Our first evening was just for relaxing and going to bed early. Tuesday started off great. It was a beautiful day and we spent the morning with her dog, Samson, at the off-leash park. The exercise felt great and I was more than ready for a fun week. That evening we took Samson to his puppy class, which was also fun for me to watch. He's such a little character! Leaving the class that night, all hell broke loose. There were messages on all the phones for me to call home and talk to my dad. Never a good sign.

I called Dad and he informed me that my male dog, Jake, had been run over. Never one to come right out with a story I had to ask questions to figure out what happened:

Dad: Jake got run over

Me: Is he alright?

Dad: No, he's not alright

Me: Is he alive?

Dad: Yes, he's alive.

Seriously...why should I even have to ask that. The conversation should have started out with Dad saying: "Jake got run over, he's alive, but not doing so well." Then again, when I called Dad last summer to tell him that I was losing Kaycie he asked me if I wanted a bike because he had gotten one for free. No, I'm not kidding. This is how he deals with complex emotional issues. Anyway, issues with Dad aside...

I spent most of Tuesday evening in tears. I was upset and worried about Jake, devastated that he was hurt and I wasn't there, angry that my time with my sister wasn't going to be the time I wanted, and unsure as to what to do. The next morning I decided (on no sleep) to drive home as quickly as possible to be with Jake. At this point I knew he was going to live but we didn't know how bad his injuries were going to be.

I got back home by supper time and headed straight for the vet hospital. How heartbreaking to see my baby bear barely able to walk and with one of those stupid cones around his head. He flopped down in front of me and seemed happy just to be there with me. They let me lay on the floor with him for an hour and a half and I think both Jake and myself were much calmer when they finally took him back.

The next morning when I went to see Jake he walked in all by himself! Such a huge improvement from the night before! I, of course, instantly burst into tears. Jake has a broken tailbone and there was swelling around his spine. His bladder was ok but due to his spine and tail injuries he didn't have control of his bowel movements. It was now a waiting game to see how much movement he would get back in his legs. As there was nothing more they could do with him at the vet's, I was allowed to take him home. The vet gave me steroids and antibiotics for him that he will be on for the next two weeks. The antibiotics are to prevent infection and the steroids are to help reduce the swelling around his spine.

The first 48 hours at home Jake barely moved. I was fine with that. He'd been through alot and I was content to lay beside him and let him sleep. He got lots of kisses and cuddles, that's for sure! On Sunday I took Shai (my female dog) outside to the back yard. I had called her to the door but didn't call Jake as I didn't want to pressure him. After being outside for just a few minutes I heard the door open again. Mom was standing there with Jake. Apparently he decided he didn't want to be left out! I went to the door and held onto his collar. Allowing him to decide where he wanted to go. He came outside and stood on the back steps looking around the yard. He made no effort to go down the steps and I didn't push it. After a few minutes he turned around to go back inside. With me walking beside him for support he headed back to the living room. He was walking normally although slowly.

Since then he has improved leaps and bounds! He wandered into the kitchen by himself to see what was going on, he tried to jump up on the couch all by himself (which was quickly prevented as he is still messing all over the place and needs to stay on the sheets), and he walked down the hallway and back again obviously just checking things out. I've now booked him a follow up vet appointment for August 4th. Hopefully that will be a day of amazing news as that is also my next Level II ultrasound. Lot's of pressure on that day unfortunately.

I know Jake's getting older, but this injury and his brush with death really got to me. Jake is my everything. He's my survivor. I first heard about Jake when I was working at the airport. A guy who worked there was moving to San Francisco and him and his partner were not going to be able to take Jake with them. I told him I'd love to meet Jake as I was looking for a sibling for Shai. This guy showed me a picture of Jake but never called me back to set up a meeting time. A few weeks later I knew this guy had moved and had obviously never bothered to call me. I decided that I would head to the pound to see about a sibling for Shai instead.

I walked into the area where they keep the stray dogs and who was sitting there staring at me? Yup, it was Jake! I said to the lady: "He's not supposed to be here." After quickly telling her the story I asked her to let Jake out so I could spend some time with him. She repeatedly told me he wouldn't be an appropriate dog and said that he had aggression issues. It was implied by her tone that he was not a suitable pet and would likely be put down. I informed her that I didn't care and that he was the one I wanted.

Jake was a work in progress from day 1. It didn't take me long to figure out that he had obviously been abused and was extremely nervous around most people. For myself and Jake though, it was love at first sight. Although he may growl at me when he is extremely cranky he has never bitten me. He jumps to protect me at so much as a perceived threat. He has comforted me through a divorce, relationship break ups, and my loss of Kaycie. He stands beside me and lets me use his back to push myself up off the floor when I have a hard time standing up. He licks away my tears when I cry. He is the only man in my life who has never let me down.

A conversation on my online support board turned once to pets. One woman summed up my relationship with Jake perfectly. He has taught me more than anyone else in my life. He taught me that you can have something bad happen to you and survive. Just keep moving forward. With the right friends, today is what matters. Don't let what happened to you define who you are. I didn't rescue Jake, he rescued me. He made me see that what I have is so much more than what I don't have and that I have everything I truly need: plenty of food and fresh water, a roof over my head, a warm place to sleep, and the love of my pack.



I love you Jake, get well soon!