Yesterday I got a chance to briefly live out one of my current deep fears: what I would do if something suddenly happened to my four-legged roommate and dear friend, Honor. Last night I was out to dinner with a friend when I received one of those dreaded phone calls from my sister letting me know that Honor had been injured when she was attacked by another dog. Honor has often spent time over at Sandy’s house with Sandy’s husband Al and their four-legged friend Blue. On this particular occasion, a third dog was in the mix; they were dog sitting with their “granddog” Siri. Unexpectedly, Siri bit Honor, tearing off a piece of her right ear.
As I sat listening to Sandy tell me that she was going to put me on speakerphone with the vet and then listening to the vet rambling on about what she was going to do and how she would have to put Honor under anesthesia and and and…my mind sort of wandered. I knew that the injury wasn’t life-threatening, so I didn’t need to rush over to the hospital. By the time I dropped my friend off at the Metro station and got back to my sister’s house, they had long since left the hospital. We talked briefly and made a plan about what would happen if the vet called and was able to do the surgery on Honor’s ear tonight. If she couldn’t do the surgery in the evening they’d keep her overnight. So, I went home without my pup.
I can’t tell you how many times I looked for her, expected her to follow me, tried to tiptoe past her bed only to remember she wasn’t in it. It was weird. And I realized, as I often have, how much I depend on her presence to entertain, distract, uplift, annoy, and delight me on a daily basis. I knew it was going to be hard moving and living here by myself just me and Honnie after an entire lifetime living with other people: parents and siblings, roommates, spouses and partners, children. I realized that when I moved here with Honor it was the first time in my life I’ve lived by myself without another human being, that is. But I had Honnie. And for the first time last night I knew what it was like to not have her here and to know that she was sleeping away from home and family in a cage at the animal hospital.
Recently a friend of mine lost his old dog; the “pup” simply grown so old he couldn’t get around any more and was falling down, unable to eat, scarcely able to move. My friend had him put to sleep and though he knew it was the right thing to do, agonized over it and then understandably lamented the loss of his beloved friend. And now he lives alone. I had a glimpse of that last night and though Honor wasn’t seriously injured, it is inevitable that some day, may it be many years from now, she is going to die.
I am grateful to still have my little friend with me. I am grateful for the swift actions of my brother in law, who restrained Siri and kept her from doing more serious damage to Honor, and my sister who quickly scooped up Honor in a blanket, keeping pressure on her wound and the two of them getting her to the hospital. (Sandy even had the presence of mind to put on ice and bring along the piece of Honor’s ear that had been torn off in the attack. It could not be reattached.) Both of their care and quick thinking meant that Honor was seen by the vet and cared for within 15 minutes of her having been injured. I am grateful to both of them.
Tonight I am grateful to be able to look out past the foot of my bed and see my friend Honor curled up in her bed as usual. I’m sure she’s not totally comfortable–she has to wear the “cone of shame” to keep her from scratching the bandage off her ear and tearing the incision–but she’s here and resting. In the next day or two I think she’ll be back to her upbeat, playful self. Honor is an important part of my life and I would have been deeply affected if I had lost her. I remain grateful for her presence in my home and in my life.
The Patient
