She's Not "Just a Dog"......

I've had a crappy weekend.

On Saturday night, my beloved German Shepherd, Mitzi, was attacked by a stray. 

My Marine and I had just gotten home with the girls after a nice evening out.  We opened our garage door and let our dogs out as we always do.  Mitzi (who is 15 years old) likes to take her time, sniffing around, and walking along the bushes between our house and our neighbor's.  While My Marine got the girls out and in the house, I heard barking and growling and then yelping and crying.

A stray came out of nowhere and surprised Mitzi.  Because she is so old, she really couldn't defend herself and was bitten multiple times.  Zoja, our other Shepherd, came to her rescue, chasing the other dog off.  Mitzi was laying on the sidewalk, in shock, bleeding from her head.

My Marine ran out, scooped her up and threw her in the back of the Jeep and drove her to the closest emergency vet - which miraculously was only 3 minutes away.  Turns out that after the initial exam, she was bitten on the head, face, and neck.  She would require emergency surgery to close the wounds and repair the nick to her jugular.

Meanwhile, thank God, Nani didn't see the attack, but she knew Mitzi was "sick".  I got the girls settled in bed and just waited, and prayed, and cried.....a lot.

Mitzi is not just a dog.....she's my baby.

Mitzi was my first dog.  She was my first baby before I had babies.  We had her since she was a pup.  She has been with me through so much and knows my deepest, darkest secrets.  She would sit by me and lick away my tears when I'd cry.  When I was pregnant with Nani, she'd lay on the couch with me, with her head on my belly, looking like "what the hell was that??" when Nani would kick her.

She became Nani's dog from the moment we brought her home from the hospital.  And Nani became Mitzi's pup.  She'd lay in front of her crib when she was sick or even just sleeping.  When Nani started crawling, she'd belly crawl next to her and then lay in front of the steps and baby gates to make sure she was safe.  She's suffered many indignities such as necklaces, earrings, scarves, princess crowns and even the ladybug antenna that Nani made in preschool.  But she suffered in silence and played along.

She was with us through all our moves and multiple road trips.  She'd make each home her own.  Patrolling it with every ounce of her being...making sure we were safe.  The year My Marine was deployed, I don't think that crazy dog ever really slept -- she was on alert 24/7.

Oh, but she could frustrate the hell out of us too.  There was the time she ate a whole frozen leg of lamb I was defrosting for dinner.  The time she ate a whole bag of Hershey kisses and pooped foil for days.  The time she chewed a good part of my doll collection.  The time she locked herself in the bathroom and dug up the tile trying to get out.  And she loved a good can of trash.

The years have taken it's toll on her.  She's slow to get up and walk.  But you can still see the love in her eyes.  She's a fighter and one tough dog.

At 3am, our phone rang and it was the vet telling us that Mitzi had survived the surgery.  She had over a dozen puncture wounds on her head, face, and neck.  They had to put tubes in to help with drainage.  She would be groggy and in pain for awhile and the next few days would be crucial to her healing.

We brought her home late Sunday.  We set her up on a blanket in her favorite spot.  Nani sat next to her, petting her, and whispering words that only Mitzi and she could hear.  I didn't want to leave her.  My Marine slept on the couch next to her all night.

In the end, our checking account may be overdrawn bigtime, but, she's home, she's alive, and she's tough.  And she's worth it....

Because she's not just a dog.