The Legendary Bagfoot

I can be a bit of a nut-job when it comes to the dog, especially when it comes to her health and welfare. I’m getting better though. I don’t have a choice. I don’t have an easy going, laid back, demure, ladylike little girl. Well, she is easy going in that she lets almost everything just roll off her back. On the flip side, she’s an extremist. She doesn’t do anything half-way. In her book, there’s no such thing. How do you have the absolute most fun when you take it easy? When she plays, she plays hard. When she decides to be bratty and stubborn, she puts everything she’s got into that too.

With this great zest for life, comes injury. Punctures, scratches, sprains, strains, missing tufts of fur, a sprained tail, chunks missing from her pads, a cracked tooth, and badly sliced carpal pads (this is the pad that lies a few inches up the back of her front legs). She sliced one running through the water at the beach, this took forever to heal and was nasty to look at, then just when we thought it was healed, she tore it open playing. Again, it seemed to take forever to heal. Then after that one was healed she sliced the other one open running through a stream. All of these injuries were of varying degrees. There were a number of vet visits, most weren’t necessary, but at least it was an education for me. Better safe than sorry.

When I’m caring for an injury, you’ll usually hear Brad warning Chili that she’s in for it now. Or you might hear something like, “What are you doing to the dog now?” Yes, there is typically a degree of embarrassment for her. Sometimes it’s because I’ve taped a sport sock around a leg or two to keep her from licking. Or, it could be that I’ve taped a fluorescent poo bag around her leg so she won’t get the sock wet when she goes outside to pee. No, Chili is never impressed but she does indulge me, most times. However, she also does her best drama queen act and makes a big deal out of it. I mean really, it’s just a sock, or a crinkly bag taped to her leg, no big deal. But there she goes, hobbling around, kicking her legs out trying to shake off the socks or the poo bag. Looking like the world is about to end. Funny how once the shows over, she walks perfectly to her bed and drops herself down huffing and puffing the whole time. Oh yeah, as she’s shooting me dirty looks.

Yes, the thankless job of the dogmom. OK, so it’s not so thankless. I know she appreciates it. Especially when she’s sick and she looks to me for help. She puts up with my antics and trusts me even when I leave her at the vets. How is it that they seem to know how to make us feel better, when they are the ones who are hurt? They look at you with those all knowing eyes as if they’re saying, “It’s OK, don’t worry about it.” Then, you catch them at an off moment, and you see their vulnerability. You see how much they need you. That’s the moment that drives you to be the crazy dog-mom or dad. That’s the moment that validates every little thing that you do to protect them. No matter what, they need you, just as much as you need them.