Heidi is amazing. The extra dose of herbs each day is doing the trick & her legs are warm & her tongue has lost its blue tinge. Thank you Barbara.
HRH has been really bright & managed a trip out yesterday with my parents to a garden centre. She looked a little flat at one point so I opened the side door of the van & did some TTouch with her. While I wasn’t looking, Meg popped out & went off sniffing around the car park which would have been fine if I’d had a pocket full of treats to get her attention back on me. She’s pretty emotionally wrung out at the moment & was therefore unable to hear me. I realised too late that wasn’t coming back as I saw her tail disappear into the farm shop. I grabbed her lead & trotted in behind. It was one of those moments when you just wanted the ground to open up & swallow you. The shop was heaving. Meg isn’t a people person but hadn’t realised that there were quite so many in there until she’d done one complete circuit, looked up & saw what, or rather, who was around her. You could see the panic wash over her as she dived under one of the display stands. I prayed there was nothing edible under there or there may have been rather more explaining to do when I grabbed the debris from her mouth. It was a good news, bad news situation. Beer bottles all neatly lined up in tidy rows. That was before Meg arrived. She had turned into a snarling wreck who had no idea which way to turn or what to do. I was endeavouring to remain calm as any sign of any kind of emotion tips her right over the edge & you stand NO chance of doing anything with her; this was against the odds as I was getting truly filthy looks from some of the shoppers, & sympathetic ones from others. They perhaps didn’t realise that I knew she wasn’t meant to be in there, even though I was grovelling around on my hands & knees replacing the falling bottles as I went, calling out abject apologies the shop-keeper whilst endeavouring to clip a lead onto a snarling, snapping dervish. I was keeping the image of her flying out from under the stand & snapping at one of the children right out of my mind (that took some doing as she’s more than capable). She was SO scared poor girl. I was relieved to see a quarry tile floor which meant she could skid elegantly across it when I eventually got a hold of her collar. I truly hate dragging a dog over a floor but there really was no option. Once the lead was on her, she suddenly came back to our planet, looked around in wonderment at the devastation then trotted out alongside me as though someone else had done it. Darling Meg, I do love you, but I’m glad I understand you & your ways. I rue the day I vaccinated you & made your brain misfire the way it does.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Heidi had launched a successful takeover bid on Meg’s front seat position & was very happily sprawled in the sunshine. I returned to the shop minus Meg & continued grovelling to the shop-keeper (without explaining that my dog truly is a nutter or using the excuse that she’s a rescue (she isn’t) which some people happily fall back on) while I collected up the still rolling bottles to line them up in neat lines once more. Will I ever be able to show my face in there again?
Who's getting the therapy?
Heidi not only managed this trip out but then spent a happy hour wandering around us while we had afternoon tea – terribly civilised, if only you knew. She was very happy to sit with my dad & get some special strokes while she leaned gently in. By late afternoon she was very deeply asleep with her legs in the air back on the sofa & she remained so through the rugby. Her supper was dutifully wolfed then she returned for a snooze. Yesterday was her first walk away from home & it was a total joy to see her trotting happily along the lane. Meg was overjoyed & did her special “happy gallop”, missing out the buzzing part where she invites the other to play by pushing her bum out toward them as she passes. Heidi, as usual, paid her no attention!
My family are completely amazed at how bright she is, & Chris commented on how well she is so soon after her operation. My response was this:-
1. I don’t know of any other dogs who have so many people sending them healing, love & prayers to help them with their recovery.
2. Having a vet whom we trust completely means that we aren’t spending our time worrying about whether there is anything else we could be doing, because we’re already doing it. Also, with our feeling confident, Heidi is going to pick up on this & spend her time getting well instead of worrying about what we might be worrying about.
3. We have the space on our Welsh hilltop for her to get fresh air & no worries about being bothered by people or dogs.
4. She’s an incredibly determined creature who looks as though she’s made a decision to stay & will do all she can to achieve that.
Today she is happy, bright & warm, barking when something interesting happens (like the new lamb by the pond – they say that sheep spend their lives finding new ways to die, but I think this lamb was starting on day one, it was very precarious until it was moved). Her new bark is so strong & deeper than it was. It still fills you with a deep smile as it is an expression of her happiness to be alive.
Blessed be.
