Several of my friends were surprised I got a puppy, they said: "I didn't think you liked dogs." Ha ha. Truth is I didn't know how much I love dogs until I got Maja! P and I had discussed it for months, since he's used to having a doggie at home. I was unsure... the potty training, picking up poop, eye boogers, fur on my clothes, dog in bed, dirt tracks on the carpet, less travel. Ugh, can I handle it? Well, to test the waters we decided to go "look" at the puppy litter in consideration. P knew we couldn't go see puppies and not come back with one, so he insisted we go prepared with all the essentials (harness, leash, bed, water bowl, food, toys).
Once we took our pick of the litter and I lifted her up into my lap, I was smitten. Oh the soft fur, so small and cuddly. She rode on my lap most of the way home (3 hours) except when she so considerately went into her box to barf (car sickness). We bonded, she knew I was her new mommy and she was my baby. We have been inseparable since. Maja goes everywhere with us: work, shopping, bed. There are limits to where she is allowed, but she will ride in the car with us and patiently wait for our return. Maja is our spoiled little princess and I can't imagine life without her now. My favorite time of the day is morning, waking up with a sleepy cuddly puppy next to me.
Our parental instincts were tested on Dec 16 with a freak accident at work. As usual, Maja was freely walking through the office sniffing everything in her path, she was just wearing her collar and dragging her leash around. A co-worker wanted to pet Maja, so he started chasing after her. Maja took off like a bullet... co-worker then stepped on the leash to stop her, which yanked her backwards very hard. Co-worker then slipped and fell over her. Maja yipped and yelped so loud I jumped out of my seat and slid across the floor to her. I immediately picked her up in my arms but saw her left front leg was limp. P was in another office and immediately ran over. When P saw she had peed and pooped on the spot from the shock and pain, he knew it was bad. I called the vet right away and asked for the next available appointment. I laid my baby Maja on her bed and tried to comfort her as best I could until we could see the doctor. But seeing her shaking in pain was so hard, and not being able to do anything for her was heart breaking, I broke down in tears wishing it was me and not her. After the doctor examined her and took X-rays, he explained that she had fractured her shoulder at the growth plate. He asked us to explain again how this had happened because in all his years (and he is up there) he had never seen a fracture like this. Not easy for a parent to hear this. Everybody at the vet was so accommodating and considerate, they were able to schedule an orthopedic surgeon for the following morning even though it was a Saturday.
We still had a tough night ahead of us... making sure Maja was comfortable through the night and ready for surgery in the morning. Since we didn't want Maja to move at all, we set up camp in the living room between the couch and the TV. Maja laid in her bed between us, we had pillows and blankets on the floor for us, and we took turns staying awake to make sure Maja was ok. I woke up at around midnight so P could get some rest. I noticed Maja wasn't able to sleep, she was so uncomfortable. So I picked her up, sat on the couch, and put her in my lap. It seemed she melted into my lap and was finally able to snooze. I sat unmoving for 3 hours so as not to disturb Maja's sleep. My legs were numb and I was sick of watching Emeril. I woke up P at 5am for the next shift.
Surgery went swimmingly. Two pins were put in to set the shoulder. Since Maja was anesthetized, they went ahead and spayed, de-do-clawed, and micro-chipped her. We were called after surgery for an update and told we could pick her up at 4pm. Maja has recovered very well. She wanted to jump and run just days after surgery. Hard to keep an energetic puppy contained! We set up barriers around the living room to limit her movement, but she kept finding ways of breaking out. Her stitches came out Dec 26, and her pins will be removed on Jan 11. Soon she will be able to run at full speed in the yard again!
This was definitely one of the toughest moments in my life. To see your little loved one in such pain, and feeling so useless and helpless. P told me dogs can sense your feelings, so I had to be strong for her. I love my little baby so much, it hurts to remember her suffering so much.
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