While I was carousing and being immortal with the boys over the weekend, my family had our eldest bird dog in the house. Plenty of loving and petting ensued (as it should), and they noticed the lump. It's fast growing, for sure. It was just a couple weeks ago that she was at the vet for her routine checkup. While I'm relieved we caught it quickly, I'm also alarmed by its rapid growth. My wife -- an RN who's talked me off numerous ledges throughout our marriage -- assured me that ol' Dot can lick this. Despite her confidence, the dull, acidic aluminum taste seeped into the back of my mouth -- the same one I encounter in the worst times of my life. Worry. Bad News. Sickness. Death.
So Dot goes under the knife on Wednesday. Funny how it works. A week ago, my string was as tight as it's ever been. Dottie as the wily veteran. Vegas (finally) coming into her own, and LuLu impressing.
And now this.
My first question to my wife -- as any bird dogger would ask: will she hunt this season? It starts the 15th. We've got places to go, goddammit. The vet was confident, thankfully. And, thankfully, so was my wife. So we sit. And pray. My girl might not be immortal after all.
And if she's not...
Damn, sorry to hear that. Sounds, though, like it may be something fairly benign. I'll certainly keep my fingers crossed for her.
ReplyDeleteDogs are hell, aren't they? The question of why we invest so much of ourselves into something as fleeting as a dog's life is overridden only by the question of what the hell we'd do without them?
Sure hope it comes out on the good side, Scamp. Prayers and good thoughts headed your way from this end..
ReplyDeleteYou know Dottie will be in our prayers. I'd like to hunt behind her again.
ReplyDeleteScamp: all best wishes and prayers for you and Dottie! Like Chad said, our dogs bring us so much happiness and so much anxiety... maybe they're what makes us human, after all.
ReplyDeleteAndrew