After a two day separation, my mother came home today.
I was so happy! I’m just a puppy, and even though I’m almost a year old, I still depend on my mother a great deal. The house has been too big, too lonely without her.
“Mommy, why hasn’t Oliver been running around like he normally does?” Olivia, my favorite seven year old asked her mother, Trudy.
“I think he must miss Schatze,” Trudy said. “He’s still a puppy and very attached to his mother. Dogs are like people sometimes, Olivia. They can sense when we are sad or if something is wrong.”
Oh how right she was! Without Momma, I didn’t have the strength to do anything. Digging in the backyard wasn’t holding my interest. Playing tug of war with my rope didn’t tickle my fancy. Even the dog food seemed to have lost its flavor. Every time I looked at Momma’s empty bowl I didn’t feel hungry anymore. So when Jack said she was coming home today, my ears pricked up!
“Okay, the vet says we can pick Schatze up this afternoon,” Jack said, putting his cell phone in his pocket. “However, there is a whole list of instructions we are going to have to follow—some of which Schatze is not going to like!”
“Like what?” Olivia asked.
“Like no jumping on or off anything. We need to lift her up or put her down ourselves. She shouldn’t be running or doing anything that puts too much pressure on her back. So let’s work hard on our tone of voice, too. Sometimes just the way we talk to her gets her excited.”
“What about Oliver?”
Jack looked at me thoughtfully, and I wagged my tail at him.
“We’re going to have to keep an eye on him, too. Oliver likes to run and play, but we don’t want him to encourage Schatze to do that just yet. Her body needs to rest for a while.”
Well, I could be careful with Momma! If she was sick, then I wouldn’t do anything to make her worse. I’d show my family that I could curb my naturally playful tendencies.
Later in the afternoon, Jack carried Momma in. She gave a smile when she saw me waiting for her and struggled to get down. Unfortunately, the action caused her pain and she yelped.
“Easy, girl,” Jack soothed and set her on the basket bed in the kitchen. “Let Oliver come to you.”
Momma was happy to see me though, and she strained her head forward, trying to give me kisses. I rushed up and sniffed, glad to have her back again. She smelled kind of funny, sort of mediciny, and I noticed she had a new haircut.
I have to say, it wasn’t the most flattering of cuts though.
Her back had been shaved. The area looked raw and irritated with silver things weaving in and out of the skin. What on earth had happened?
“My Oliver!” She seemed happy to see me. “I missed you and am so glad to be home!”
“Me, too! The house has felt empty without you in it!” I gently got into the bed with her and snuggled up, being careful not to touch her back.
“Ah, isn’t that sweet,” Trudy said, looking down at us. “Oliver really missed his momma.”
And I had. Now that she was home I could finally get a good night’s sleep. Momma was too tired to talk so we both lay very still and took a nap.
*****
I dreamt about running through a big field full of sunflowers. Next to me, Momma bounded along, her red coat shiny in the warm sunlight. Everything felt happy and light, like the whole world belonged to us. Butterflies flitted here and there, and we gave chase, though neither of us really wanted to catch them.
But then the dream changed. A cloud crossed the sun and it began to rain. I took off for some trees nearby in order to keep from getting wet. When I got there and looked back, I discovered that momma hadn’t followed me. I could hear her whimpers, the cries for help. Yet I couldn’t see her anyway. I wandered in the rain, anxiety making my heart pound.
I woke up. The house was quiet, but I knew Momma was awake. I could hear her steady breathing behind me, and for a moment, I just listened to the calming sound of it. Then I shifted around to look at her.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Seemed like you were having a nightmare.”
“I kind of was.”
“Tell me about it,” she suggested.
So I did. She smiled at the idea of us chasing butterflies and then grew serious when she heard about me losing her in the rain.
“Poor baby,” she said. “I scared you when I got hurt.”
“Yes,” I said. “I was lonely without you.”
“Someday you may really be without me. Every dog has their day.”
“But I don’t want to lose you,” I said, my heart hurting at the very thought. “Life wouldn’t be good if you were not in it.”
“You know, Oliver, all puppies have to grow up, and in just a few weeks, you’ll be one year old. That means you’ll officially become an adult dog. It’s time to start thinking about what the future might bring.” Momma smiled. “You never know what changes are just around the corner.”
Changes? I didn’t like the sound of that and said so. My words just made Momma laugh.
“Tough. Change is inevitable and you must accept it. Besides not all changes are necessarily bad.” Momma closed her eyes briefly. “I’m going to have to make some changes myself.”
“Like what?” I asked, curious.
“No more jumping on or off the couch for one,” she said. “And even when we play outside, I have to be a little more careful what I do. Of course, that’s only if I’m able to walk again.”
“Can you feel anything in your legs?”
“Yes. The doctor said that’s a good thing. With a little rest and the right kind of exercise, I might be able to walk again.”
We stayed in Momma’s basket bed the rest of the night, talking about what all was going to happen. It kind of reminded me of when I was just born and I’d spent endless hours cuddled up next to her. Had that only been eleven months ago?
The next few days brought a series of interesting changes to our house. I guess it just goes to show how lucky Momma and I are to be the pets of owners who really love us. Jack immediately got to work building ramps and steps for Momma and me to use. I already had a ramp in Olivia’s room which I used to get up on her bed, but now we had them in Jack and Trudy’s room, too. A little set of stairs made it possible for me to get up to the couch without having to jump. It was awesome to live in such a dachshund friendly environment.
Of course, Momma couldn’t take advantage of any of these new innovations for a while. The whole family made sure to gently pick Momma up and put her on the couch or on the bed. Any time she wiggled forward like she might jump off, someone was there to catch her.
Olivia kept calling her Zipper dog instead of Schatze. I kind of thought the name was fitting. The silver things in Momma’s back were called staples, and they did remind me of a zipper. Momma didn’t seem to mind her new name though and wagged her tail anytime Olivia used it.
I made sure to model how to use the ramps and steps for Momma. She actually already knew what to do, but was a good sport about my demonstrations anyway. I was just happy to have her home!
“You’re looking chipper today, Oliver,” Bonnie Belle complimented me. I was outside, feeling pretty lucky that things had turned out okay.
“Thanks, doll,” I said. “And might I compliment you on that delicate nose of yours.”
As usual, it was the only part of her that I could see sticking through the hole in the fence.
“How is your mother?”
“Much better. She had some surgery for a disc that ruptured in her back, but with a little tender loving care, she’ll be back to normal in no time.”
“That’s great!”
“I think so, too,” I said. “By the way, I’m turning one year old in a few weeks. Think you might be available for a little celebration. I heard Olivia trying to talk her mother into giving me a birthday party.”
“Oh, Oliver,” Bonnie Belle laughed. “Humans have birthday parties. Not dogs.”
“We’ll see, Bonnie Belle. My family is anything but ordinary.”
As I trotted back into my house, I thought about how true that was. My family treated my mother and myself as if we were a part of the human family. They loved and cared for us. My heart swelled with emotions, and as I stared at Jack, Trudy, and Olivia who were seated around the kitchen table laughing at something that caused Momma to wag her tail from basket bed, I was overwhelmed with love for them.
I was one lucky dog!
Related posts:
- Puppy Tails – Oliver’s Forever Home
- Puppy Tails – Oliver Worries
- Puppy Tails – Oliver Thinks Outside the Box
- Puppy Tails – Oliver Gets First Aid
- Puppy Tails – Oliver Gets Fleas
