There really is something special about a dog. Speak to them, and they’re ready to listen. Offer a little table scrap ,and you get a look like you’ve just given them the best, most awsomest, gift ever! If you really want to get them excited, grab a leash and stand by the door.

Dogs Love To Walk!

I went on a walk with my dogs this morning. The sun was rising over palm trees that I know are part of my soul. The sky was ablaze in a million shades of brilliant orange, pinks, greys, blues, and whites. The air was downright chilly, couldn’t have been above 57, maybe 58 degrees. Brrrr. Despite a crisp breeze, the surface of the Harbor was a flat calm. Looked like glass.

On a beautiful morning, with two pups slobbering and tail-wagging all over the place, it’s easy to be happy. Everything takes on a new perspective when your companion’s biggest concern is which tree to annoint, and exactly where. Watching something so silly be so important, kind of makes you just breathe.

Kind of like… maybe I make silly things important too.

Wow!  I LOVE this dog!  We all do.  AJ and I have a slight disagreement in fact, about just who’s dog she is anyway.  (She’s mine, but whatever)

We are very thankful for Buttercup!  She makes our life much better with her tail that actually does “wag the dog”, her slobbery kisses, and her big brown eyes.  We almost lost her in June of this year when she was hit hard by a car outside our home (for sale) in Odessa, FL.  The car had to be traveling at least 45 mph and it never stopped!  I found her laying in the road, a sure victim to the next rocketship heading down Gunn Hwy.  The whole scene was very traumatic for the whole family and we thought for sure she was a gonner.  AJ was unable to speak, Jacob and Kim were crying…it was a bad deal.

It turned out that, in addition to many ”road rash” type wounds requiring stitches, she had a severe compound hip fracture.  To make matters worse, it was soon apparant that her front left leg had nerve damage and she wasn’t able to put her paw down without knuckling down to her knee.  The vets were really not sure what to advise because the nerve damage combined with the hip fracture basically meant she would be totally paralyzed, completely unable to walk. 

I do love that dog.  People who aren’t dog people don’t always get it, but I have tears in my eyes just writing about this.

What a gift!

They did the stitches and some other work under anasthesia and the next day sent her home.  It was very touch and go for awhile, and there were two or three nights where we went to bed not sure if she would make it through the night.  Kim, who was well trained in animal care, sat with her a couple of nights.  For two weeks we prayed for her, and cared for her, and loved on her.  I had to carry her out twice a day to go potty.  I even had to whack my way through the thickest vegetation in the yard because she needed “privacy” in order to do her business.  She is a lady.

Miraculously, she made it!  Her nerve damage healed up and her hip got better.  In six months time, she has almost fully recovered.  She can walk, even run.  She isn’t what you would call bouncy, but she can even jump a little bit.  Sure, the rainy weather and the cold slow her down a little, but her attitude is never down…she is just happy to be with the family.  We are very thankful for Miss Buttercup. 

The whole thing also serves as a real example of perseverance, faith, and the whole idea of “Keep Moving“, just putting one foot in front of the other is enough sometimes.  And if you can’t do that, somebody will carry you, or the Lord will carry you Himself.

One last thing….thanks SO MUCH to Dr. Saleh at Ehrlich Animal Hospital in Tampa.  He’s awesome…even made a house-call to keep her more “comfortable”.  (I forgot to tell you how she gets at the vets office, ever heard of Cujo?)

Hershey is a SUPERDOG Too!