He's Home!!!

Got down to Vegas about noon. Had to wait around for about an hour while they finished him up on his IV. Because of the vomiting they wanted to make sure he was as hydrated as possible. When they finally brought him in it near broke my heart. He was soooo glad to see Lu and me. He pulled the little nurse into the room on three legs so he could greet us with all the happy doggie joy you could imagine.

After we got the scoop on care, follow up and rehab it was time to go home. I grabbed his leash and as soon as he figured out what was going on he put it in three wheel drive and dragged my 240 pound body out the door. Angus wanted to GO HOME and he wanted to go home right now! When he saw the truck, his truck, he wagged his tail and headed for the door. Lu got in and I passed him to her and we were off.

He spit up a little twice, once in the truck and again just after we got home but it was negligible. I think we (and most of you) were right. Part of what was going on with Angus was recovering from the drugs but a large part was emotional. Angus was scared, lonely, in pain and most likely wondering if he'd ever see Mom and Dad again.

As soon as we hit the road he snuggled in with Lu. He slept part of the way but mostly he just snuggled with Momma. The happiness and relief were palpable. We tried a few small bites, remember he hasn't eaten anything substantive since Sunday morning. This is Wednesday. He kept it down and seemed comfortable. His pain is no where near what it was on Sunday and Monday. It's obvious the surgery was successful in the regard at the very least.

By the time we gt to the outskirts he was up and interested. he could smell Home. We arrived and I gingerly got him down. he headed straight for the front yard. He stood for a bit, just soaking in the joy of being home, and finally took the longest pee in the history of dogkind.

He hobbles but actually gets around fairly well. The cast doesn't seem to be an excessive burden though I can tell he's ready for it to go away. Six weeks. He hops on three legs and occasionally tests the repaired leg. He doesn't yelp or act as if it's really painful so I anticipate the real problem is going to be when he figures this is the way things are and starts trying to run and play. He's already tried to convince me to throw something he can fetch so....

Here's Angus just after we got home. He went immediately to the food and water dish. We let him drink all he wanted but we're limiting his food intake for a day or two.

What's a homecoming without a present? When Baby Girl broke her arm I got her a new Bear so Angus got one too. The black Gorilla is a much beloved toy but the White Bear is his newest. In spite of everything he has gone through he still just wants to play.

I have been wondering if his spirit would suffer from the ordeal. I needn't have worried. As soon as I sat in my chair he hobbled over at top speed to assume his accustomed place between Daddy's feet.

But here's the clincher. We let Angus sleep with us. As soon as he went into the bedroom and saw the bed he asked to get up. I hoisted him on and he settled in with a deep sigh of happiness. Lu laid down with him and he fell into a contented sleep within seconds. Cuddled up with Momma in his very own bed. Trust me on this, that is one happy dog.

We have many trials ahead of us and the final outcome is still uncertain. We all expect a complete recovery but this isn't a movie and nothing is guaranteed. We will do our part. We have a list of things to do and forbid, a plan for life and the motivation to do all we possibly can to give him the best chance. Angus is now the number one priority in our lives and he will get the best care we can give him. This is something we can and will do.

I feel a little better today. It's funny, when we lost Trooper I didn't think another dog would ever capture my heart. I know better now. Our lives were empty without Angus and now that he's home I am relieved and much more at peace. He's brought the joy back into our lives. As I type this he came out of the bedroom, headed for the front door (after being intercepted by Lu at the doggy door). I had to hold him back from running outside when I opened the door. We walked to the yard with me, took another epic pee, growled at the teenagers across the street and looked ready for anything. Right now he's on the living room floor playing New Bear with Lu. Our lives are complete again.

In the next few days we'll settle into a routine. I have a special thank you planned for all of you wonderful and precious supporters. More in a couple of days. For now, I'm going to follow the advice of a god friend,  put up the computer and get down on the floor to play with my best friend. I thank God We still have him. For the first time since that awful day I think we're going to be Ok.

Later my friends.

Six, Lu and Angus