November 12, 2013

And Then the Dog Got Run Over

A more sober post this morning.
Our dog, that little white mutt that stinks so tremendously that he has to sit in the trunk of the car because we cannot support his funk while driving, suddenly crossed the street at 6:45 this morning, just as a car passed by.
 
Spike

There was a 'thunk', and then some yelping, and the dog was down. The owner of the car stopped, but it wasn’t his fault. The dog should have been leashed. We carried him to the door (it happened right in front of our building), but blood was pouring out of his mouth; He was rattling and groaning and snorting, couldn’t get up, and he let everything run.

And so there we stood (we, as in 'hubbie, housekeeper, old aunt, daughter and I', for the entire family had gone down to see once it happened. The only one able to sleep soundly through this entire ordeal, was,  of course, the teenager)
 
What to do now? Vets don’t open until 9:00 AM. Hospitals won’t take animals.  We carried him back up, laid him in his box, and sort of stood by to see what would happen. We had little hope. It looked like he was hemorrhaging. We all assumed that the rattle was a death rattle, and we were sort of expecting this sudden hiving of his little chest, some last attempt to breath, and then silence. The entire household, old aunt and housekeeper included,  was in tears.

The owner of the dog, my daughter, was terribly distraught. “I’ve had that dog half of my life,” she cried. And indeed, when you are ten, you can have a dog half your life.
 


Hubbie and I have each been through numerous pets, and we know; a dog or a cat does not live forever. They die, you get a new one, and life goes on. I once had a cat that got caught in the lawn mower. He survived.

My daughter had to go to school, I had to go to work, we could not bring him to the vet before 9 , and so hubbie got the job of ‘taking’ care of the dog. That was a bit of a euphemism. How much ‘care’ did he need? He was about to die.

 I was interviewed by a blogger last week, who asked me if I could describe what my blog was about. Well, it started out as a witness of changing times. The very first Arab Spring, as far as I am concerned. Then it sort of merged into some sort of link to the home front. It moved towards the direction of journalism, and I would publish my newspaper stories here, and then I would publish all that stuff that my newspaper couldn’t take. It’s been a photo blog at times, and a place to share funny things and adventures and things that would surprise me about this town. I’ve had times where I would write about the ‘old days’ in Lebanon, or how I like living here. I’ve tried to analyze why this place is so special, and I have reported on daily events in our family. But I cannot really pinpoint what this blog is all about. Everything and nothing really. Life, maybe.
You could call me a ‘housewife with a hobby’, except that I am not a housewife. I cannot even cook. Some people quilt, others paint, I blog. Writing is therapeutic, and in my case, and it helps me gather and organize my thoughts. But I digress. 

Spike, the dog, in better days

The dog?

Oh, well, he’s tougher than we thought. He’s still alive.
I think that when he saw the old aunt shed tears over him (yes, even the aunt was crying, the aunt that hates all animals with a vengeance that equals Russian Road Rage), he got a sudden breath of life.

He’s still at the animal hospital, apparently with a broken pelvic bone, a broken rib, a punctured lung and a serious concussion. He's holding on, responding, but there's nothing they can do but wait. If he makes it through the coming 24 hours, he'll live. 
If not, well, we'll deal with that when we get there.

11 comments:

Tanya Dernaika said...

Praying for the quick recovery of the dog.

Tony said...

Very sad to hear (and see!). I hope he makes it ok!

Fabulous said...

Good luck, hope he'll be fine!

Sietske said...

He's still alive (It's some 24 hours later), so we're getting hopeful. Thanks

mallaidh.org - Kahlil said...

My prayers and hope goes along with you and your family during this time. Although we have a dog as well (Bichon too) I feel that Spike has been a part of our family due to your photos and great storytelling. Please keep some updates posted and let us know how he's doing.

mallaidh.org - Kahlil said...

Not to be a pest, but how's the little guy doing?

Sietske said...

Spike's still clinging to life! He has no internal bleeding, but he's got broken bones all over the place. He's still at the vet, and will - if he makes it - be a rather cripple dog. But the first 24 hours seem to be the most dangerous, and he's made it past that. Will keep my fingers crossed.
Thanks for asking :) Much appreciated.

Anonymous said...

good luck with the dog, if he's left broken he will feel like the rest of the country (LOL)

Anonymous said...

Hoi Sietske, hoe is t met de hond Spike ? Tien moest huilen. jacob

Anonymous said...

What is wrong with you and your husband?!!! What kind of human beings stand around and let their helpless, bleeding, horribly injured pet suffer excruciating pain for 2 1/4 hours before they try to get it any medical attention? And who then takes photographs of the bleeding, in-shock pet while they wait around to see whether it dies? What kind of sick, heartless person are you? What you did was animal cruelty, pure and simple (as is putting the dog in the trunk of the car -- seriously, what is WRONG with you?) You should be completely ashamed of yourselves. I very much hope you don't have any children.

Anonymous said...

Your negligence (first the cat and now the dog) is criminal. Some people should not have pets and you are one of them. Please, for the love of all that is holy refrain from ever getting another pet.