Poor Puppy

We don't keep our dog in a fence because he just keeps getting out. He's a bit of a social dog and likes to go visit the neighbors - who have assured me that they don't mind. We live at the end of a cul-de-sac style road surrounded by Corps property, so the road traffic is really limited to folks who live here.

There is a Siberian Husky who occasionally runs by and plays with Mel - and he gets caught up and keeps following him. Unfortunately, these are nail-biter evenings because I just hate feeling like I'm going to get THE CALL that Mel has been hit by a car. We've been fortunate as he's been found by some really nice people who call us.

The other night Mel didn't come home and I ended up driving around the previous areas where we've found him trying to find him, but I had no luck and went to bed around 10:30 hoping that he'd come home.

We got a call around 11:30 pm. Mel had impaled himself on a wrought iron fence at a house located about three or four miles away (in an area where he had not gone before) and it was bad. I ran over there and got him to the local animal emergency room. I have to admit that I did pretty well at not freaking out. Mel had essentially peeled away all the skin from his right hind leg and all I could see was muscle and red. Once I got him to the vet and knew he was being cared for and out of pain, I started shaking. The vet told me that he was fine, but I had to leave him overnight because he had to operate - the words he used were, "he's a bit of a mess."

After I calmed down enough to drive, I got home and didn't really have a fitful sleep. The next day, I got over to the vet to pick him up. He had MANY, MANY, MANY stitches. I don't want to post a photo because it still freaks me out just to look at them. Let's just say that the gash is over a foot long - and Mel's not that big of a dog.

So yesterday was spent sitting on the floor of my living room and keeping my puppy still by petting him. When he slept, I was able to get some work done on a hat I've been knitting for a good friend. I actually finished it - so I guess that's the only really good thing that happened yesterday. It was really stressful - even though I didn't do much.

He's still sore today, but is doing obviously better. Poor little guy.