Life Lessons

Driving to the grocery today I passed a house where a young boy was out in the yard, playing with a three legged dog.  It took my mind back to a time years ago when we had to decide what to do about a dog with three legs as well.

We’ve almost always had a dog in our house.   My husband and I love dogs, and our kids love dogs, cats, raccoons, ducks and anything else that walks, creeps or crawls.   We’ve had our share of animals…..but, personally, dogs are my favorite.

Many years ago we had a beautiful Weimaraner named Brandy.  She was silver grey, with intelligent gold eyes that understood everything, and she had the disposition of an angel.  One of my favorite memories is of the times Larry and I would take her for a walk, unleashing her in a field up the road from our house.  She ran like the wind, stretched out like an arrow moving across the landscape.   What a beautiful animal, and what a joy it was to watch her run.

Our children were young, and Brandy was affectionate and protective of them.  She ate with us and slept with us, always patiently waiting for us to go to bed at days end.   If we just didn’t cooperate she would put her big gray head in my lap and look up at me with those beautiful eyes as if to say, “It’s been a long day.   We need our rest”.

One summer afternoon the kids and I were home when the youngest daughter headed out to play in the front yard.  As she opened the door Brandy spied a squirrel, forgetting her manners she charged out the door to make chase.   The squirrel ran across the road, and Brandy was a second behind, running in mindless pursuit.  The squirrel made it safely across, but Brandy wasn’t as lucky.  She was struck by a red pickup truck as my daughter and I watched in frozen horror.

Running across the road I saw the dog force herself out of the ditch where she had landed, and for a moment I thought she was unhurt.    Then she fell as she tried to reach me and I knew she was really badly hurt.   With tears streaming down my cheeks I just sank down in the road and held her.

My poor little girl felt so guilty, and she was hysterical as she stood behind me.  My young son had the only cool head among us.  “Go get the car, Mom.  We have to get her to the vet.”   And that’s what we did.

The dog weighed at least 70 pounds and she was in terrible pain as we got a blanket tucked under her so we could lift her.   I backed our station wagon up, and we got her into the car somehow.   All three children and their sobbing mother headed into town, praying the vet would be in his office. 

Thankfully the departing vet turned to go back into his office when we pulled up with Brandy in the back of the car, all three children huddled around her.  He took one look and ran back in to get a muzzle.  It had never occurred to me that our gentle beauty might bite us in her agony….but she had not.   

 The vet knew she had a badly broken back leg, but he couldn’t tell what else might be going on.  He encouraged me to take the children home and leave our friend with him, promising to take good care of her.   Our sad little group walked back to the station wagon and made the silent drive home. This was the days before cell phones, so we had to wait till Daddy got home from work to tell him what had happened.

 It seemed a very long time before the vet called me at work the next morning to tell me he had Brandy on the operating table.  Both back legs were broken, one would have to be removed.   Did I want her put down while he had her asleep?  I told him I needed five minutes to think and I would call him back.  After a few very deep breaths I called back to tell him to do the best he could for her.  We would take care of our three legged dog.

At home that evening I told everyone what the vet had been forced to do, hoping I hadn’t made the wrong decision.  I didn’t know how they would react to an animal that was now very different.   I told them honestly we’d just have to wait and see how this worked….I’d never seen a big dog with three legs before.  She would remain at the animal hospital for a couple of days, and then we’d bring her home.

The next day I had my youngest with me at a green house buying some flowers for the garden.   As we walked through a big, shaggy dog was stretched out in the sun, one leg tucked under him and hidden in his fluffy coat, the other three legs splayed out around him.  My daughter studied the dog and asked, “Is that what Brandy will look like, Mommy?”

“Well, honey, I guess it is.  And when you look at it there’s a lot of dog left even without that leg, isn’t there?” I replied.   

On Monday Larry and I picked the dog up from the vet and I had never dreaded anything so much in my life.   I was shocked to see Brandy come walking out with the vet, her remaining back leg splinted.  She moved slowly and carefully, but she could walk.   Standing like a tripod, she nearly knocked herself over in her delight to see us.  At that moment I was so glad we hadn’t had her put down.

We took her home to heal….and heal she did.  For a couple of months I came home every day on my lunch hour to take her outdoors.  Her hindquarters had to be supported because of the break in her remaining leg, and the wound from the amputation had to be cleaned and dressed every day.  Larry took her out each evening before bed, sometimes carrying her when her leg gave way.  Eventually she grew stronger, and to the vet’s surprise her remaining back leg did heal and support her.   The kids all helped her up stairs and out to the yard without complaint.    She lived seven years after that and died at a ripe old age. 

It wasn't untill much later that I realized what a wonderful lesson this was for all of us.  This beautiful dog had won blue ribbons, she was champion stock, but that isn’t why we loved her.  By not having her put down and taking care of her the children learned that we don’t just throw something (or someone) away because it’s no longer “perfect”….and they learned that we take care of those we love no matter what.    

Our standard comeback when someone commented on our three legged doggy was, “Oh….you have a FOUR legged dog?   Well…maybe someday you’ll be lucky enough to have a three legged one.”

Life has a way of teaching important lessons….sometimes you just have to listen more closely to hear them.     

                                                                     Life is Good