Man's Best Friend

Here is my beautiful dog. Yes, that is a stuffed animal. No animals were harmed in the making of this blog and any and all animals used in this blog are only here for entertainment purposes only.

Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway, today was the day that I would head to the Poconos to enjoy my newest favorite past time, cigars. Unfortunately for me, my two $150 tickets to CigarFest would have to go to waste.

My dog whose name will also remain nameless, like me, had a bit of a problem with her teeth. About a week ago, she lost a molar. It was a big molar. It immediately concerned me and it also influenced us to contact our vet. Our vet was delighted that we cared so much about her teeth that we had to bring her in for an appointment, yesterday. Little did I know what would happen next.

So, her teeth were going to be cleaned and we would begin the new ritual of brushing her teeth not only on a daily basis but also twice a day. This is a good thing. What I didn't know was that two more teeth were going to come out during this visit in addition to her teeth getting thoroughly cleaned by the dentist. Not only that but they are concerned for infection and have given us antibiotics and pain medication for our little girl.

So, my furry friend whimpered all last evening. She found herself sleeping in our queen-size bed between my wife and I. She also managed to stretch her body out in such a way that my wife and I were on the outer fringes of what was left of the bed. Yes, my little girl was milking her pain and suffering for all it was worth. So, at 5 am the whimpering got louder and tore into the center of my heart. "We have to get up. She needs her pain medication now.", I said. My wife made her way to the kitchen and the medicine and our pug was cradled in my arms as she was carried into the dining room. We turned on the lights and got the medication ready. It was a liquid solution so we were able to give it to her without having to coax her to open her mouth or wrapping a pill in peanut butter. Still in pain, she whimpered all the more, not understanding that we had done all that we could do for her.

This morning went a bit better. There was whimpering and sadness but she still had not eaten anything in more than 36 hours. We told her that she is going for a ride, which gave her all the excitement in the world. She started wagging her tail and getting all excited. We needed a few things. She needed soft food, a pill crusher and some softer snacks. We purchased those minus the pill crusher in addition to a new bed and a new stuffed toy, Stripes. Yes, we name all of the toys. All of them are politically correct names and never use the name of the animal that they represent. We do not want her to ever go after any animal. So instead of "Get the raccoon", we tell her to "Go get Stripes!".

So, the two pathetically sad and tired humans continued their trek. We went in search of a pill crusher at CVS. We then finally thought of ourselves and got a breakfast sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts and two large coffees. Did I mention that we were very tired from sleeping on our sides, balanced on the edge of the bed. It takes a lot of new muscles to poise yourself just right in that position without offending your sad, toothless, black pug who is in more pain than she ever felt before and doesn't understand why. ;-)

Besides all this, all I wanted to do was lay next to my dog and let her know that her family still loves her. I set up pillows the night she came home to lay on the floor next to her. I spent the morning with her instead of the CigarFest, giving up all of those wonderful cigars and the opportunity to enjoy myself. Instead, I laid next to my dog, petting her and whispering in her ear how sorry I am that I did not brush her teeth more. How sorry I am that she had to go through anesthesia and surgery. I blamed myself. How could I have allowed her to get to this point? This is a guy who brushes his own teeth at least three times a day and can't help but notice other people's teeth when they don't take care of their own mouthful of pearly whites. How could I let this happen to her?

Yes, I had my share of guilt last evening and today. She is doing much better now. The whimpering has subsided so I am assuming that the pain has lessened. She is thinking of grabbing her toys again so she seems to be feeling better now. Still, my guilt is there. I want to go back downstairs away from this computer and be there for man's best friend. She is always there for me when I come home from work. She greets me at the front door and she pulls me down to give her a hug and a kiss with her front paws. Immediately after this ritual, she runs for a toy because all she ever wants to do is play.

I can't wait for Monday. It's when the maintenance on her teeth begins full force. It's when she can probably eat solid food again. It's when she will most likely be done her medication and she will be herself again. It's when I return home from work and I'll be greeted by my little one at the front door and get a hug and kiss from my furry child and when all will be forgotten. Man's best friend is the most wonderful thing in the world. She loves unconditionally and forgets all wrongs to her unconditionally. She is always full of love. God bless. May God bless us all with best friends like the one I have in my little girl.