Living in a small house with a large animal that sheds year round can be very frustrating for someone whose natural strengths do not include 'housekeeping.' So on many occasions over the last three years I have found myself threatening to banish all 112 lbs of Scrapple the yellow lab to the back yard. In fact, I have actually threatened to banish him to someone else's backyard. There were times that I truly believed that I had had enough, and Scrapple had to go. In those moments of frustration, as I cleaned gobs of dog hair out of the vacuum hose, I actually believed that I could find a nice family who lived on a farm and drop Scrapple off with a wave of my hand and a sincere thank you to the new family. I thought I might feel guilty for a few days, but I would get over it. I now know that is not true. I have discovered that Scrapple is here to stay. He is a part of this family, dirty paws and all.
A few weeks ago Ash came in from the deck to tell me that Scrapple was having a seizure. It isn't his first, but it was definately the worst we have seen. It lasted about 30 minutes, maybe a little bit more. It ended with a trip to the emergency vet. As I waited by the phone for a call from Ash, my mind couldn't stay away from the looming question: What will we tell Katie if Scrapple doesn't make it?" And I began to realize what a significant part of this family that big dog really is.
Scrapple and Katie have grown up together. Scrapple sniffed around at boxes of diapers and baby wipes before Katie was even born. He learned to take walks next to her stroller. He took naps on the floor while Katie played with her baby toys. And now that Katie is growing more independent, there relationship has grown, as well. Most afternoons you will find Katie dragging Scrapple around the back yard by his collar. Scrapple will chase a ball thrown 10 feet by Katie as if it had been lofted into the air 100 feet. Scrapple lays on his side so Katie can snuggle up next to him and rest. He sits patiently as Katie checks his ears and listens to his heart beat with her Fisher Price Doctor's kit. He sleeps outside her bedroom door at night, just to be sure things are ok. And Katie loves him to pieces. She talks to him about her friends, her family, her favorite movies. She looks out for him, feeding him and letting him out. She proudly tells strangers in the grocery store that her dog is three years old. They are best friends.
The day after Scrapple's seizure, Katie and I watched him walk back to the exam room with his vet. He would have a day of observation and testing. I turned to walk to the car as Katie burst into tears, panicked over her dog's fate. It was her best friend and playmate walking off all alone. Katie could hardly take it. After a trip back to the kennels to say goodbye and a promise that we would return for Scrapple after nap time we headed home. Both of us waiting for four o'clock to come quickly
A few weeks ago Ash came in from the deck to tell me that Scrapple was having a seizure. It isn't his first, but it was definately the worst we have seen. It lasted about 30 minutes, maybe a little bit more. It ended with a trip to the emergency vet. As I waited by the phone for a call from Ash, my mind couldn't stay away from the looming question: What will we tell Katie if Scrapple doesn't make it?" And I began to realize what a significant part of this family that big dog really is.
Scrapple and Katie have grown up together. Scrapple sniffed around at boxes of diapers and baby wipes before Katie was even born. He learned to take walks next to her stroller. He took naps on the floor while Katie played with her baby toys. And now that Katie is growing more independent, there relationship has grown, as well. Most afternoons you will find Katie dragging Scrapple around the back yard by his collar. Scrapple will chase a ball thrown 10 feet by Katie as if it had been lofted into the air 100 feet. Scrapple lays on his side so Katie can snuggle up next to him and rest. He sits patiently as Katie checks his ears and listens to his heart beat with her Fisher Price Doctor's kit. He sleeps outside her bedroom door at night, just to be sure things are ok. And Katie loves him to pieces. She talks to him about her friends, her family, her favorite movies. She looks out for him, feeding him and letting him out. She proudly tells strangers in the grocery store that her dog is three years old. They are best friends.
The day after Scrapple's seizure, Katie and I watched him walk back to the exam room with his vet. He would have a day of observation and testing. I turned to walk to the car as Katie burst into tears, panicked over her dog's fate. It was her best friend and playmate walking off all alone. Katie could hardly take it. After a trip back to the kennels to say goodbye and a promise that we would return for Scrapple after nap time we headed home. Both of us waiting for four o'clock to come quickly
