Let It Snow

When the calendar changed to January, someone notified Mother Nature that it was winter, and boy did she respond in a hurry. While I hear all of you humans complaining about the cold and the snow, I for one, am enjoying it.

I have to hand it to Doc, we still take our daily walks although they are much shorter. She knows the importance of me being able to get some exercise and also sniff the fire hydrants and the lampposts to check for any pee-mail left behind by another dog. Did you know letting your dog do that helps to stimulate their brain?

The best part of the day comes after our walk, when the sun sets and darkness envelops the earth. Doc and I cuddle on the couch by the fire. She reads while I drift in and out of blissful sleep comforted by the fact that I am safe, warm and loved. For this dog, there is nothing better than that.

Christmas Time!

This morning Doc and I arrived to work extra early to get ready for our big Christmas celebration at work today. We snuck in the big room where we have group therapy and finished decorating the tree like two elves coming in the night. We want everything to look just right for our Stress Management group and for the party later today for the patients. So let the festivities begin.

This morning Doc has a special surprise for the patient’s in our Stress Management group. She brought in ornaments to decorate and last night she baked blueberry muffins to share. She said today we are going to talk about things we need to let go of and leave in 2024. I pondered wht she said thinking, “now that’s a deep topic.” I started thinking what I wanted to leave behind in 2024 and first on my list was no more surgeries. I guess there are things we hold onto that we need to let go of like, grudges, guilt, dysfunctional relationships, or bad habits. We will see what the patient’s come up with when asked that question.

So., it’s time to get busy with our day and Doc and I hope you have a great Holiday!

When Your Life is Still in Stiches

It has been two weeks since my surgery, and although I am doing much better, I am still on the mend. Life is like that sometimes, you just have to be patient while you heal and focus on how you have improved, not on how much further you have to go.

At least I have graduated from having to wear the cone of shame and I am now only wearing a tee shirt to protect my stiches until they are removed this Saturday. They itch sometimes as they are healing, but Doc reminds me not to scratch. I know she cares about me but she can be annoying at times, the way she hovers over me. I am just ready for things to get back to normal and I can run and play again without restrictions.

One thing I am really looking forward to is the Christmas part we are having next Wednesday for the patients. I know there will be good food to eat, hopefully Santa will show up and I can visit with people I don’t see as often. For those that celebrate the holidays, it can be a time to come together, focus on the positive and maybe heal some old wounds.

Today I am just going to focus on helping my patient’s the best I can and continue to absorb all the sympathy and extra treats I can get while I am still healing.

Wearing the Cone of Shame

While the rest of you were celebrating Thanksgiving and decking the halls, I was homebound after my surgery last Tuesday. On top of the discomfort, Doc and the Veterinarian, made me wear a stupid tee shirt and a cone to keep me from messing with my stiches. I have never felt so humiliated in my life. But I digress, let me start from the beginning.

Last Tuesday morning, Doc dropped me off at the Vet’s office and left me there for my surgery, while she went on to work. I have to say, I didn’t like that too much, being abandoned in my time of need. The staff was nice to me as always, but of course I was anxious because Doc had told me what was going to happen. After a few hours they came to get me for my surgery. After they put the IV in my leg and gave me medication to go to sleep, I didn’t remember too much. When I woke up I was in a crate wearing a big plastic cone and places on my body hurt. Later I found out that the doctor had removed 6 fatty tumors (lipomas) from my body, all non cancerous. They found one attached to a muscle under my front leg, so it was good they found that one before it was embedded too deep in the muscle. I just kind of drifted in and out of sleep for the rest of the day, then at about 5pm, they said Doc was here to pick me up.

I won’t lie, it was a struggling to walk, as I still felt so groggy from the medication. I was limping from the surgery and had a big red bandage wrapped around my leg. When Doc saw me she said I looked like a soldier returning from battle.

The next thing I knew, Dustin, the nice vet tech, lifted me into the back of Doc’s car and we went home. The first night was kind of rough, and I could tell Doc was worried about me. She took good care of me and was very strict about fallowing the post surgical orders. Thanksgiving was nice, but I still wasn’t up to par, but I did get lots of sympathy from the family and even four year old AJ, Doc’s great-nephew, gave me a kiss.

So here we are, I am back to work with restrictions, still wearing that stupid cone and a tee shirt, but I found all of that garners a lot of sympathy from the patient’s and the staff. I admit, I kind of like that. I am feeling better every day and this just goes to show you, you can’t keep an old dog down for too long.