When Bad Things Happen to Good Dogs

When I was in high school we had a Golden Retriever named "Bear." Coincidental that is the nickname we have given our 5 year old who coincidental loves chewing on things. You'll understand soon.

One day when the dog refused to eat, and sat lethargically on the front porch, we were concerned. The previous weekend my brother and I had spent the afternoon tossing super bounce balls to Bear while he jumped into the air to retrieve them. When Bear couldn't find the ball within the puffs of green grass, we would pluck another from our pockets and begin the toss and retrieve routine again.

Since Bear's energy and zest for retrieval has diminished, we took him to the veterinarian. After an x-ray of his stomach the reason for his loss of appetite was due to the fact that resting inside the confines of his goopy stomach lining were three super bounce balls and a stone. Nice. Yes we fed him prior to the ball incident.

The only course of action was to have the balls and stone removed surgically. My mom agreed to the $400.00 bill and after a few hours, Bear was back to normal.

Several days later, when any and all super bounce balls were located and removed, Bear stopped eating again. We were hopeful that he didn't find another ball to digest, but when he was ushered him to the vet, she found another ball.

My mother sat my brother and I down to deliver the bad news. Since she could not afford another surgery, the dog would have to be put to sleep.

After tons of tears, we understood and told the vet of our quandary.

Two days passed, and surprisingly the vet called our home. She informed us that her heart wouldn't allow her to put Bear to sleep and decided to do the surgery for free. Elated, we picked our dog up and profusely thanked the vet.

Bear never swallowed another ball and lived 12 great years.

That is the outcome when good things happen to good dogs.

Comments

Oh man, that is a story! Bear had no idea how close he came to hearing the bells toll for thee. I mean for him. You know.
Erin said…
I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry...maybe a little of both? good Vet yall had back in the day!