THE DOG STORY FROM LAST TUESDAY

I am writing this for no other reason than to finish a story that I was telling to a couple of friends at church this last week. If you find this story offensive...I'm sorry. Remember that the thoughts conveyed on this blog are my own alone. Also, if you are one of my kids, stop reading this and go do your home work, clean your room or something. To start the story, I'm going to give a little background. I have a wonderful family that includes a wife, a boy, another boy and a little girl. They are the "wind beneath my wings". You know...when you think about that statement...What is that supposed to mean....wings?....I don't have wings....anyway, they are great so back to the story. Along with my wonderful family, I have...a dog. His name is Toby and he is a black lab. Toby is eleven years old. I guess some would call him a good family dog and he has been good with people over the years but that fact of the matter is...he has been a lot of trouble to me. Over the last eleven years, he has eaten shoes, leather jackets, wreaths (long story), entire loafs of bread, steaks (and other people food), toys, balls, and just about anything else that you can think of. He also sheds, tracks in mud, digs for moles, swims in our pool (yes, dogs shed in the pool), sleeps in our bed (wife's fault), is deaf (big problems) and is always under my feet at the worst times. On top of that, over his long (and I mean long) life (he's like 80 in dog years), Toby has cost me literally thousands in vet and food bills. With all that...I'm ready for him to go to doggy heaven(I don't really believe that pets go to heaven but it is a nice way to say that I want him to die). Anyway, last Tuesday, I thought that I had my wish. We were eating dinner and Toby was in our sun room (you can't have him in the room while food is out or it's gone). After dinner I went down into the family room to relax. A couple of minutes later, Julie (the wife) came to me and said, "you need to come into the sun room, Toby is in some kind of distress". Immediately, a smile broke over my face, Julie knew what I was thinking and she urged me not to show my feelings in front of the kids. Into the sun room I went (I was skipping). The scene was indeed sad. Toby could not stand up and his back legs seemed "locked" underneath him. He was also shaking terribly. I felt sorry for him. I may want him to move on but I don't want him to suffer in any way. So I called the vet. Of course, our vet was closed but they connected me to the Emergency Vet Hospital on red bank road (I have been there a few times, very expensive but they do great work). Of course they told me to bring him in as soon as possible. So I picked him up (85lbs of squirming crying dog) and put him in my car. It was pouring down rain on the way down but I was going to get him there as soon as I could. All the way there, he didn't make a sound...he just laid silent in the back seat. While he was laying there, I was preparing myself for what was coming. What was I going to say to the vet if the news was bad? What was I going to tell the kids? No smile on my face anymore. This was truly sad. I got there and went right in to tell them that I was here and probably needed something or someone to help get him out of the car. The lady at the desk replied, "Really? You would be surprised at what the ride here can do." What was she talking about? Ride here? Didn't she understand that my stupid dog was on his death bed? She then pointed out the window to my car. Toby was no longer laying quietly in the back dying but was sitting up in the driver seat fogging up the windshield. I trudged out to the car (still raining) and opened the door. Toby hopped down and walked right into the hospital. Now...I was mad. He had got me...again. The vet said that he had some kind of "geriatric arthritic episode". WHAT? But I was ready....I had my talk all planned out...GERIATRIC ARTHRITIC EPISODE? The vet even commented on how healthy he was for his age....gee thanks. Anyway, so $120.00 later, me and my geriatric dog went home to break the good news to the family...Toby is going to be a round for a loooong time.