Ben, doped up on Benadryl, lay next to me on the couch determined to keep his eyes open. He was suffering from, I think, an allergic reaction to strawberries. His ears were bright red, he had a fever, and he spoke in a raspy voice.
“Are you having trouble breathing?” I asked, loudly. When I get nervous, I say things loudly.
“No,” he whispered.
“Does your throat feel funny?”
“No. Except I can’t swallow and there’s a lump in it. Like a ball.”
“DON’T PANIC BEN! I, YOUR MOTHER, WILL SAVE YOU WITH THIS HERE BENADRYL!”
I bundled him in a blanket and put him on the couch and commenced staring at him, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest.
“Do you know how my friend Adam got those two broken bones in his arm?” he asked, drowsily.
“No. How?” I answered.
“He was kicked by a Sith Lord,” Ben said, casually, as if getting kicked by a Sith Lord was a common everyday occurrence. Ben will believe just about anything anyone tells him. Eventually, convinced tonight was not the end for little Ben, I lugged my little guy upstairs and put him to bed. Downstairs, John, Caleb, and Kiah the Wonder Dog came in from the backyard.
Yes, THAT Kiah the Wonder Dog.
That awful Saturday, Kiah was severely injured after she tried to herd the riding lawn mower. In a prelude to a catastrophe, Kiah had broken out of her crate and slipped through the sliding glass door left open by some small person. After a difficult trip to the emergency vet, John was faced with some choices: he could have a) had Kiah put down b) gone thousands of dollars into debt trying to save her leg c) relinquished her to the local shelter, where she might have a chance.
He went with plan C. He came home without a dog and we understood we would never, ever see her again. We didn’t know if the shelter would give her the surgeries she needed to survive, or if they would choose to put her down.
To make a long story short, thanks to the kindness and generosity one incredible person, Kiah came home tonight. She is sleeping at my feet this very moment. She is happy, healthy, and has only three legs.
Which we think makes her even more of a wonder dog.
Life is never easy. Tonight was no exception. But we have our dog back.
We are blessed.
5 comments:
I have to say reading this brings me right back to when I used to watch Lassie. Every episode I'd think Lassie was gone, but sure enough she would come running up the hill. I'd cry. I kinda cried just now too. So happy to hear your happy ending, though sorry about the accident.
So very happy for you and your family! Can't wait to hear more stories and see more pictures!
Love you!
I'm so happy to hear that there will be The Continued Adventures of Kiah the Wonder Dog! It's like when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes. You just can't get rid of a beloved character, no matter if he's a genius detective or a mischievous dog! :-)
Wow, that's amazing--so happy for you & the family!
I am so happy to read this, I guess after your original post I did not think that Kiah had survived so this blog makes me very happy. If you ever get the chance to join us for our book club you can meet Tina whose dog survived for many many years with just 3 legs.
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