I have just returned from walking Kai & Ella, and feel very relaxed and happy as a result. Due to me becoming a dog walker, we don't walk by ourselves very much anymore and it's something I should do much more often. Great for stress busting, and believe me the last week has given me cause for needing it.
Tomorrow will be a week since Diva, my lovely, bright little puppy - broke her leg. I wish that last bit wasn't true, but very sadly it is. We were walking on the beach at Weston-Super-Mare when a couple of dogs started racing around chasing each other. Diva was just stood still trying to be out of their way when they ran over her - they rolled her and as she went over she screamed out in pain. Not a sound that any owner wants to be familiar with in their dog.
After gathering up the other dogs and putting the children back into their car seats, we headed to our vets and Diva had a conscious x-ray taken which confirmed my suspicions - a fractured femur. The very same injury that Ella suffered from after jumping off the sea wall at Clevedon when she was 6 months old. I think I'll be staying away from beaches with my dogs from now on, we obviously don't mix well.
On the plus side the bone was fractured in the middle which made repairing it that much simpler, and we made use of Diva's insurance policy by employing Dr Hamish Denny to repair the damage. He's one of the best orthopedic specialists in the country, and I am eternally grateful he's local to us. We also have the benefit of knowing the veterinary rehabilitation specialists at the Smart clinic in Cardiff, and Lowri has given me further advice to get us through the next 4 weeks until we can start a program to rehabilitate her properly.
Whilst Diva was understandably quiet and very un-Diva like at first, each day she is clearly feeling a bit stronger and I'm pleased to report that it would appear her spark was only subdued, it isn't lost completely. During me writing this post she has whined for help getting out in the garden - our scary tabby cat was guarding the exit - so it seems her faith in me as protector is undimmed. We've had to forget recall training for the minute as she had taken on board the message that her 'Come' cue means get to whoever's calling you as fast as you can - it's too nerve wracking and far too dangerous at present. So if we need her we go collect her and walk her to wherever we want her to be. The lead walks only thing doesn't seem to bother her either, as she associates the lead with lots of treats - Diva heaven :-)
Despite this bad luck I'm determined that this won't affect the rest of the year. There are some things we can't control no matter how much we would like to. But we can control our attitude and reaction to those things that are taken out of our hands. My decision about Diva's accident is to allow a little time for feeling sad, take stock, and then move on in a constructive way. I'll keep you posted with our progress - I'm swinging back and forth between the feeling sad/ taking stock stage at present ;-)
Today I'm grateful for Kai, Ella & Diva and all the life lessons they've taught me, as well as my wonderful family and friends who support me when times get tough.
Tomorrow will be a week since Diva, my lovely, bright little puppy - broke her leg. I wish that last bit wasn't true, but very sadly it is. We were walking on the beach at Weston-Super-Mare when a couple of dogs started racing around chasing each other. Diva was just stood still trying to be out of their way when they ran over her - they rolled her and as she went over she screamed out in pain. Not a sound that any owner wants to be familiar with in their dog.
After gathering up the other dogs and putting the children back into their car seats, we headed to our vets and Diva had a conscious x-ray taken which confirmed my suspicions - a fractured femur. The very same injury that Ella suffered from after jumping off the sea wall at Clevedon when she was 6 months old. I think I'll be staying away from beaches with my dogs from now on, we obviously don't mix well.
On the plus side the bone was fractured in the middle which made repairing it that much simpler, and we made use of Diva's insurance policy by employing Dr Hamish Denny to repair the damage. He's one of the best orthopedic specialists in the country, and I am eternally grateful he's local to us. We also have the benefit of knowing the veterinary rehabilitation specialists at the Smart clinic in Cardiff, and Lowri has given me further advice to get us through the next 4 weeks until we can start a program to rehabilitate her properly.
Whilst Diva was understandably quiet and very un-Diva like at first, each day she is clearly feeling a bit stronger and I'm pleased to report that it would appear her spark was only subdued, it isn't lost completely. During me writing this post she has whined for help getting out in the garden - our scary tabby cat was guarding the exit - so it seems her faith in me as protector is undimmed. We've had to forget recall training for the minute as she had taken on board the message that her 'Come' cue means get to whoever's calling you as fast as you can - it's too nerve wracking and far too dangerous at present. So if we need her we go collect her and walk her to wherever we want her to be. The lead walks only thing doesn't seem to bother her either, as she associates the lead with lots of treats - Diva heaven :-)
Despite this bad luck I'm determined that this won't affect the rest of the year. There are some things we can't control no matter how much we would like to. But we can control our attitude and reaction to those things that are taken out of our hands. My decision about Diva's accident is to allow a little time for feeling sad, take stock, and then move on in a constructive way. I'll keep you posted with our progress - I'm swinging back and forth between the feeling sad/ taking stock stage at present ;-)
Today I'm grateful for Kai, Ella & Diva and all the life lessons they've taught me, as well as my wonderful family and friends who support me when times get tough.
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