Dogs

So a few years ago I worked as a viewing agent, meaning I got to nosey around people's houses for a monetary reward. I was warned about a particular house visit that I was going to host - apparently the dog that lived there was as big as a horse. The advice was not exaggerated. I came face to face with Saffron, a three-foot-at-the-shoulder Irish wolfhound and fell in love immediately. I hasten to add, I'm not a dog person, never previously owned one, but her grace captivated me. I soon set to work on Man registering my interest in getting an Irish. I didn't get one, probably because they are so rare, so huge and so expensive. BUT Man relented and we are now proud parents to a bouncy, blonde golden retriever. I named her Macy-May which was my nod to NYC and also to my mum's birth month.

Moo-Moo is affectionate and loyal. She's calming, funny and always reliable. She lives in the moment and doesn't appear to harbour any bad feelings. She's happiest being with her humans and is just so grateful for life.  We can't imagine our home without her.

For a 'retriever' she's a bit shit. She can't swim, despite having been bred with partial webbed paws, and she's never retrieved a thing in her life! Her jaw is wonky and she sometimes smells. But her passion for life shines through and we've learnt a lot from her. Dogs just somehow exude a wonderlust, a simple life that involves food, exercise and lots of cuddles. So that's it, the most important things are right here in front of us.

Man has been in pain for a few days. It's difficult for him to stand from a sitting position and I can tell that he's fed up. Having seen Dr L today, our fears are lessened as she announced that the blood results from last week are looking good - ie, globulin levels are dramatically reduced which indicates that he's responding well to treatment (going from 88 to an almost normal level of 37). He hasn't lost nor gained weight (probably something to do with his beloved Snickers tasting of cardboard), BP and temp are good and there are no infection markers.

But, that bloody Zometa - the bone growth drug appears to be ragging his pelvis and in an ironic way in that the healing and growth of bone which it promotes also incites pain which is somewhat crippling.

His mood day - and one day I'll get him to write this himself - is 'upbeat' - the pain today is apparently pay off for being with Jack at Lydden Hill race track yesterday. See, enjoying the moment, like a silly retriever that runs bat shit crazy around the woods and then tires herself out for 24 hours.

Quote of the day from the Man - "Bloody aching, bloody hips, bloody bollocks."

And yet the tongue is out, panting with contentment and awaiting to be fed, and that's not just the dog!