Amy

Amy, our wonderful pup, broke a tooth. She's not quite one year old, and managed to break a lower canine, which is a pretty big deal. The problem is, she's a hard chewer. I mean a HARD chewer. Soft toys only last a few minutes. She rips a hole in them, then goes for the squeaker. Since I'm admittedly a tad overprotective, and a worrier, I toss those immediately. Can't have her choking on stuffing or squeakers. But she loves toys! So I bought tougher and tougher ones. Number tens on a scale of one to ten. They lasted a bit longer, but not much. Very few had a chance with Amy biting on them. The good folks at the pet store recommended one particular bone. Amy loved it. She took it with her from room to room. She'd lie by the sliding doors and gaze out while gnawing on her special bone. It seemed a problem had been solved. Entertaining a pup for more than a few minutes is a challenge.

Now her tooth is broken, probably from that bone, and I feel awful. It's not the fault of the pet store. How could they know the determination of a young Brittany Spaniel? Especially this one? Nope. I blame myself. I'm not sure why. Probably habit.

We're trying to save the tooth. An extraction would leave her without it for years and years. We're planning on her outliving us. It could also break her jaw. Imagine that. So we're taking her to a doggie oral surgeon for a canine version of a root canal. She goes in on the 30th. Please think of her that day and cross your fingers all goes well. I'll get a list of allowable chew toys from the surgeon and stock up on those. She shows no sign of pain and loves playing with her ball and two of her strongest toys...a dragon and a cow. She runs in the yard and smiles at us and eats well. The vet gave me pills for pain and others to fight any infection. Amy takes them without complaint. One of the best things about a dog is they don't talk. Unlike people they don't yammer useless gibberish in your ear endlessly. But for just five minutes I wish Amy could speak English. I'd ask if it hurts and what feels good. Then she can go back to normal. An occasional bark. Contented grunts.

I could write more. In fact, when it comes to Amy, I'd love to share some of her finest moments with you. She's a hoot! But right now I think I'll just go give her a hug and maybe work on a few commands. She likes that. When she does something right, which is most of the time because she's so smart, she gets a treat.